The Murky, Dingy, and Amoral Ways of the Spymasters Across the Line of Control

Photo of Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam (former DG-ISI or Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence).

(Photo: Facebook)

In 2020, a senior Pakistan People's Party leader Palwasha Zai Khan dramatically claimed to be the unacknowledged second wife of the former Pakistani spymaster Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam (former DG-ISI or Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence) and sought alimony for his supposed four-year-old son.

It was a continuation of the murky and salacious saga that afflicts many infamous Pakistani spymasters. Though Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam retired in 2014, he was accused of his secret and undeclared marriage in 2015.

Roll of Infamy With Many Misdemeanours

Amongst Pakistani spymasters (DG-ISI) before Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam, it was the likes of the amoral, unhinged, and overambitious "Father of the Taliban" Lt Gen Hamid Gul. And after Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam's tenure, it was the likes of highly politicised and manipulative Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, notorious for brazenly sipping tea with the ragtag Taliban militia when Kabul fell, even before the government formation.

Interestingly, both these DG-ISIs were ultimately and unceremoniously bumped off from their sensitive posts.

Coming back to the reticent Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam, today, his ghosts seem to continue reappearing well after he has hung his uniform and boots.

The supremo of PML-N Nawaz Sharif continued his tirade against his nemesis i.e., Imran Khan, by alluding to a few 'bad apples' in the Pakistani 'establishment' who supposedly conspired to bring down his government earlier.

The blame game and defence of his own cosy relations with the Pakistani 'establishment' led him to re-invoke Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam: "I ask Imran not to blame us (of being patronised by the army) and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power." He referred to the strongarm tactics of the then DG-ISI by saying: "When I refused, he threatened to make an example of me."

It is certainly not an unfathomable scenario in the Pakistani context where the Pakistani 'establishment' (read military) is believed to be a state within a state! After all, the Forbes list of the most powerful people in the world once ranked Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam the 52nd most powerful as the "new head of Pakistan's notorious intelligence service" – the only other name of a Pakistani in that list was of the then Pakistani Army Chief, General Pervez Kayani!

Tellingly, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, had not made the cut.

What Could Be the Spymaster's Purpose?

English poet, George Herbert, said of spies, "The life of spies is to know, not be known," and that, "Spies are the ears and eyes of the Prince." Implicit in the two quotes is the surreptitious nature of their calling, as well as their subservient role to a bigger entity.

While earlier the personal life of Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam had come out embarrassingly in the open for him – professionally too, his bidding for someone/something has become a talking point, yet again.

The DG-ISI is arguably the number two position in the Pakistani 'establishment', yet curiously, only two of the 24 DG-ISIs whose long shadows loom large in the corridors of power ever made it to the Chief of Pakistani Army (the current Pakistani Army Chief, General Asim Munir, is one).

Traditionally, the DG-ISI do the dirty spadework for the Pakistani 'establishments' machinations, and therefore, for Nawaz Sharif to call out Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam is not implausible, as he had fallen out of favour then.

Contrary to popular perceptions, the Pakistani 'establishment' is not a monolith or consistently anchored institution. It has had its share of chiefs who were personally debauch (e.g., Yahya Khan, Tikka Khan etc.), bigots (e.g., Zia-ul-Haq) or even professionals (e.g., Asif Janjua, Raheel Sharif etc.) – each of their personalities reflected on the institutional bearing and those who fit with the topical sensibilities then, were 'in', and those who didnt were silently cut to size. The institution never had any permanent partisan loyalties and it shifted with time and circumstances.

If it made sense to 'select' (as opposed to 'elect') a certain candidate, then supporting circumstances, environment, and national mood were accordingly made. The wily Nawaz Sharif is now recollecting the time when the generals had 'selected' Imran Khan and started working on the project to sacrifice him.

Nawaz Sharif had famously alluded to the 'establishments' handiwork as 'Khalai Maqlook' or Invisible Aliens, who had rendered invaluable support to 'select' Imran Khan.

It is equally true that the same 'establishment' had no second thoughts of later dumping the same Imran Khan that it had once 'selected' and then created space for the re-return of Nawaz Sharif (in an unlikely alliance with PPP). Pakistani roulette, if you must.

No Pakistani politician is ever untouchable forever – after all, Nawaz Sharif has had a tenuous relationship with all five previous army chiefs that he personally nominated (often superseding many seniors) on the misplaced assumption of loyalty – later, they were to 'bump off' Nawaz Sharif (General Waheed Kakkar, General Pervez Musharaf and General Qamar Bajwa), give grief by becoming their own man (General Pervez Kayani and General Raheel Sharif) or got coerced into early retirement (General Jehangir Karamat).

But for now, the situation suggests a warm equation with his sixth choice, General Asim Munir, so far, and so the dice must roll.

What Cooked Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam's Goose?

The calculated name-calling of Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam fits into the convenient framework of the prevailing circumstances and spirit that supports General Asim Munir as the Pakistani Army Chief in Rawalpindi GHQ. General Asim Munir is an unmistakable product of the 'anti-Imran Khan' lobby. He has done his bit to weed out all those that represent that anchorage, even within the 'establishment'.

Unfortunately for Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam, he represents the time when the Pakistani 'establishment' was known to be batting for Imran Khan, and hence, can be lumped together with the 'pro-Imran Khan' lobby, which is an anathema to both Nawaz Sharif and General Asim Munir currently.

This incident shows the fickle and dynamic ways the grouping of the unlikely can be made in Pakistani governance. It also shows how the Pakistani 'establishment' or military is given to its own inexplicable impulses and choices, which may not spare its supposed own. The institution does purge itself of discomforting legacy – Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam fits the bill.

Even though Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam is from the catchment area of Pakistani soldiering i.e., Rawalpindi, and he hails from the distinguished line of Janjua Rajputs that also gave Asif Janjua and Raheel Sharif Janjua, his legacy is destined otherwise.

The distinguished 'military family' of Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam with his father, brother and brother-in-law having served in the Army (even his uncle, the legendary Maj Gen Shah Nawaz of the Indian National Army) has been put to dust with credible accusations of personal and professional nature, owing to the inability to handle power (read, DG-ISI) with grace, dignity, and professionalism that it deserves.

In Pakistan particularly, spies and spymasters often live by the sword and die by the same.

(The author is a Former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)