New ISI chief gives instructions not to release his pictures, footage

New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum Director General (DG) of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has asked all concerned authorities not to release his picture or video footage to the media made during any official meeting, The News International reported.

A federal minister said for the same reason, the government did not release any of his picture or video footage.

The National Security Committee met on Monday which was attended by the DG ISI. However, the picture and video footage, released to the media by the government, showed almost everyone else except for the top spymaster of the country, The News International reported.

When asked for the reason, the Minister said that it was a standing instruction for all concerned from the incumbent DG ISI not to release any of his pictures or video footage of any official meeting that he attends.

Ever since his appointment as the DG ISI, none of his picture or video footage has been released to the media, the Minister added.

Lt-Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib, while commenting on it, said the basic principle of intelligence services is to stay away from the media's eye.

He said there have been violations of the principle in the past and a number of times the governments had been releasing to the media picture and video footage of the intelligence chiefs, The News International reported.

Shoaib said the intelligence chiefs should not be shown on the media and TV screens. Generally, he explained, the spymasters are not recognised in the public all over the world for the same reason. He said this basic principle got compromised during the Afghan war when Gen Hameed Gul and General Javed Nasir were heading the ISI, the report said.

He said he was not part of any intelligence network but even then when he was promoted and posted as GOC Quetta, the then Army Chief General Abdul Waheed Kakar advised him to stay away from the media.

Maj Gen (retd) Ejaz Awan, who also served in the ISI in the past, told The News that the new DG ISI seems to be following the pattern of doing his work without being publicised in the media.

Awan recalled that when he was appointed as ISI Sector Commander Lahore, he was told by his DG ISI General (retd) Ahsan that "you would be a good intelligence operator if you roam around Lahore and no one notices you and no one recognises that here the ISI Sector Commander is going".