New spy chief says no to the media

Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Nadeen Anjum has asked all authorities concerned not to release to the media his picture or video footage made during an official meeting, reports Ansar Abbasi for The News.

A minister on condition of anonymity revealed to the news outlet that the National Security Committee (NCC) met on Monday. The meeting was also 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.

When asked for the reason, the minister said it’s 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.

The minister added that for the same reason, ever since his appointment as the DG ISI, none of his picture or video footage has been released to the media. 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.

Gen 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.