Director General ISI granted one-year extension

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani has granted one-year extension to another Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Director General, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). General Kayani has given extension to ISI chief after taking the political leadership into confidence on this issue, well informed sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday night.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha is heading Pakistan's premier intelligence service since October 2008. He was scheduled to retire on March 18, 2010 after completion of his service but after getting this one-year extension he will serve in the armed forces till March 18, 2011. The extension in the service was granted by the COAS under the rule of 'compulsory retainment', sources said, adding that two separate notifications in this regard are likely to be issued shortly by the Prime Minister Secretariat and the GHQ.
Lieutenant General Sikandar Afzal, who was scheduled to retire on March 1, 2010, was the first to receive one-year extension. He is currently abroad serving on deputation with the United Nations Peace Mission. After commanding the peace troops in Liberia, he is now believed to be stationed in New York, United Nations' headquarters. His official engagement abroad has been cited a reason for extension in service.
The COAS previously granted extension to the Corps Commander Peshawar, Lieutenant General Masood Alam, in November 2009. Sikandar was second in the row and now Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha became the third general of Pakistan Army who got one-year extension in the span of five months.
It is pertinent to note that the extension in lieutenant general's service was made the prerogative of the Chief of Army Staff by former military dictator, General Zia-ul-Haq, who was COAS and President. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in her 2nd term in office tried to reclaim the lost authority of her office but she was barred by then COAS General Abdul Waheed Kakar and he finally succeeded in retaining the authority of granting extension.
A defence analyst told this scribe that the extension in service of a lieutenant general requires approval from the federal government. Granting extension to a lieutenant general is considered the prerogative of the Army chief but he sends a summary to the federal government which is rarely objected, he said.
It is pertinent to note that Lieutenant General Ahsan Azhar Hayat, Lieutenant General Tanvir Tahir and Lieutenant General Mohammad Ashraf Saleem are retiring in March this year. Lieutenant General Ijaz Ahmad Bakshi and Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed are retiring in May. Lieutenant General Masood Aslam, Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal, Lieutenant General Zahid Hussain and Lieutenant General Mohammad Asghar are retiring in October this year.
Two top bosses of Pakistan Army including General Tariq Majeed, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, (JCSC) will retire on October 8, 2010 and General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani, chief of Army staff, will retire on November 28, 2010. The most important issue before the government is appointment of Chairman JCSC which would definitely have an impact on the appointment of COAS. This appointment will be made six weeks prior to the appointment of Army chief.