Zaheer-ul-Islam

Zaheer-ul-Islam HI (M), (Urdu: ﻇﻬﻴﺮ ﺍﻹﺳﻼﻡ) is a retired Lieutenant-General who served as the 20th Director-General of the ISI. He was appointed to the position on 9 March 2012 and began working a day after his predecessor Ahmed Shuja Pasha left on 18 March 2012.[1] At the time of his appointment, he was serving as the Corps Commander V Corps. In 2012 Forbes named him as the world's 52nd most powerful person.[2]

This article is about the intelligence chief. For the retired Pakistani army general, see Zaheerul Islam Abbasi.
Lieutenant-General
Zaheer-ul-Islam
HI (M)
ﻇﻬﻴﺮﺍﻹﺳﻼﻡ
Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence
In office
19 March 2012 – 7 November 2014
Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Nawaz Sharif
Preceded byAhmad Shuja Pasha
Succeeded byRizwan Akhtar
Commander V Corps
In office
October 2010 – March 2012
Director-General (Counter Terrorism Wing) at the ISI
In office
2008–2010
GOC 12th Infantry Division
In office
2006–2008
Chief of Staff Army Strategic Forces Command
In office
2004–2006
Personal details
Born1956 (age 65–66)
RelativesShah Nawaz Khan (uncle)
AwardsHilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Army
Rank Lieutenant-General
CommandsDirector-General of the ISI
Commander V Corps

Family

His father retired as a brigadier in the Pakistan Army,[3] while his three brothers and his brother-in-law Major Ejaz Aziz also retired as military officers.[4]

His uncle was Shah Nawaz Khan, a major general in the Indian National Army of Subhas Chandra Bose.[5] In 2012, it was alleged that Islam is related to Shah Rukh Khan. The army denied the allegations. They stated that Islam's uncle Shah Nawaz Khan's adopted daughter, Lateef Fatima, is the mother of Shah Rukh Khan thus him and his mother bearing no blood relation to Islam.[6]

Military career

Zaheerul Islam was commissioned in the Punjab Regiment in the 55th PMA Long Course on 16 April 1977. He served as Corps Commander of the V Corps.

Zaheer served as the Director-General of the Counter-Terrorism Wing of the ISI before he was promoted to a 3-star general and moved to Karachi as the Commander of the V Corps. He was the GOC of the 12th Infantry Division (Pakistan) for some time before coming to the ISI. He also served as Chief of Staff Army Strategic Forces Command from 2004 to 2006.[7]

In 2020, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif accused Zaheer-ul-Islam of seeking his resignation during the 2014 Azadi march.[8] Islam denied the allegations.

References
  1. "No extension to Pasha, Lt Gen. Zaheerul Islam appointed new DG ISI". Thenews.com.pk. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  2. "Kayani, Zaheerul Islam on Forbes Most Powerful People list | The Express Tribune". www.tribune.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21.
  3. Desk, News (11 March 2012). "Army denies new ISI chief related to Shah Rukh Khan". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  4. "Zaheer-ul Islam appointed new DG ISI". Thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  5. "General (retd) Zaheerul Islam: The shadow warrior", Dawn News (6 October 2015). Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  6. "Army denies new ISI chief related to Shah Rukh Khan". 11 March 2012.
  7. "The News International: Latest News Breaking, Pakistan News".
  8. Dawn.com (2020-10-15). "Former ISI chief Zaheerul Islam denies asking for Nawaz's resignation in 2014". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
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