The newly appointed head of ISI, who succeeded Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, will assume command of the Pakistani intelligence agency on September 30…reports Asian Lite News
Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik has been appointed as the new Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General, ARY News reported, quoting ISPR on Monday.
The newly appointed head of ISI, who succeeded Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, will assume command of the Pakistani intelligence agency on September 30.
Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik is currently serving as an Adjutant General at the general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The newly-appointed chief has previously led the Infantry Brigade in Waziristan and the Infantry Division in Balochistan in the past, reported ARY News.
Moreover, he also received a Sword of Honor in his course and served as the chief instructor at National Defence University (NDU), as well as an instructor at Command and Staff College Quetta, the ARY News report added.
Lieutenant General Malik is a graduate of Fort Leavenworth and the Royal College of Defence Studies.
The appointment of the new ISI chief comes one month after the probe took an unexpected turn after the former ISI chief Faiz Hameed’s arrest when an iPhone discovered in Chakwal reportedly unveiled details of his relationship with Imran Khan.
On August 12, Pakistan’s military announced that General Hameed had been arrested due to “multiple instances of violation” of the Army Act following his retirement in December 2022, according to Geo News.
The military further stated, “The process of Field General Court Martial has been initiated, and Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed has been taken into military custody.”
The Pakistani military explained that the action against the former ISI chief was in line with the orders of the Supreme Court, which in 2023 called for an investigation after a land development company named Top City filed a petition, Geo News reported. The company alleged that Hameed and his brother had acquired ownership of several properties and had even blackmailed the company’s owner. (ANI)
As per the opinion, the next few months seem very critical for Pakistan’s future political course, while the spectre of despotism is looming large over the political spectrum with an increasingly fragmented civilian setup struggling with legitimacy questions and resorting to draconian measures, a report by Dr Sakariya Kareem
Pakistan’s judiciary has been experiencing endless attacks on the system and in the latest example of efforts to curtail rule of law, an alleged ‘enforced’ decision by the Karachi University syndicate stripped a sitting high court judge, who spoke out against the establishment’s interference in judicial matters, of his law degree.
According to local media reports, the syndicate of the University of Karachi last week cancelled the degree and enrolment of a candidate, who is said to be a high court judge, on the recommendation of its Unfair Means (UFM) Committee.
The decision came a few hours after the detention of academic and syndicate member Riaz Ahmed, who was picked up by police in what appeared to be an attempt to stop him from attending the key meeting, reports Pakistan’s leading English daily, Dawn.
Riaz Ahmed, an associate professor at the Karachi University’s department of applied chemistry, was released in the evening only after the syndicate decided to cancel the degree, as per reports.
Riaz, while speaking to rights activists and media personnel after being released, claimed in a video statement that the degree issue involved Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the Islamabad High Court.
Riaz Ahmed (Image X@riazahmedis)
However, neither Karachi University Vice Chancellor Khalid Iraqi nor any other official of the university were immediately available for comment on the matter, the report said.
Riaz, who had already objected to an agenda item of the syndicate meeting pertaining to the case involving the judge’s law degree after 40 years, claimed that he was picked up from Tipu Sultan Road when he was on his way to the university to attend the said meeting.
According to Dawn, the syndicate meeting was held without Riaz and among other decisions it gave consent to the cancellation of the judge’s degree.
“The members also approved the recommendations of the KU UFM [unfair means] Committee which has proposed cancellation of the degree and enrolment cards of the candidate(s) who were found in unethical and immoral acts,” Karachi University stated in a press release, without naming the candidate.
Over the past week, the University of Karachi has faced an unusual level of external pressure. The Senate meeting was postponed at the last moment on the orders of the Secretary of Boards (in reality, the Chief Minister). Today, a 40-year-old. 1/3 @Jaferii@SalAhmedPK
Riaz, however, said he was released eight hours after the “illegal detention”.
Condemning the detention, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “HRCP is deeply concerned by reports that Karachi University academic and political activist Dr Riaz Ahmed was earlier taken into custody and then reportedly disappeared forcibly by unidentified persons. Strangely, he was brought back to the police station after the police denied that they had detained him.”
“This is the second time Dr Ahmad has been disappeared. In this case, no FIR was lodged against him, begging the question as to why he was detained at all. The use of such tactics must cease,” HRCP added.
HRCP is deeply concerned by reports that Karachi University academic and political activist Dr Riaz Ahmed @riazahmedis was earlier taken into custody and then reportedly disappeared forcibly by unidentified persons. Strangely, he was brought back to the police station after the…
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) August 31, 2024
It should be noted that Justice Jahangiri, whose law degree has been cancelled by the Karachi University, is among the six judges who previously complained to the Supreme Judicial Council about chief justice and accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of interfering in judicial affairs.
The complaint included allegations of spy cameras being detected at the entrance and in the bedroom of a judge, a matter that was reportedly conveyed to the chief justice but to no avail, as per reports.
An opinion piece by writer-journalist Zahid Hussain published in Dawn describes the Karachi University incident as another instance of growing brazenness of powers in the country.
Commenting on Riaz’s “illegal detention” the opinion piece noted, “In a country where enforced disappearances are a common phenomenon, such brief illegal confinement would not have raised an eyebrow.”
As per the opinion piece, the fate of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri as a judge seems to have now been sealed, and the action against the judge seems to be a warning to other judges who refuse to toe the line.
“It’s now also a test for the chief justice to defend the independence of the judiciary and protect the judges from such revengeful actions. The pressure on the judges is also growing with the apex court increasingly becoming the battleground for resolving political and constitutional disputes as parliament is becoming increasingly redundant,” according to the Dawn opinion piece.
Dr. Riaz Ahmed @riazahmedis of Karachi University was abducted as he had expressed his views on how the university authorities were being pressured to declare that Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri's educational record from four decades ago is questionable.
The writer opined it is not surprising that every effort is being used by the Pakistani government to divide the institution and curtail its power.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling on redistribution of reserved seats may have deprived the ruling coalition of the two-thirds majority in parliament required for a constitutional amendment in the pretext of judicial reform, but the current dispensation has not yet given up hope for reversal of the majority decision,” the writer highlighted.
As per the opinion, the next few months seem very critical for Pakistan’s future political course, while the spectre of despotism is looming large over the political spectrum with an increasingly fragmented civilian setup struggling with legitimacy questions and resorting to draconian measures.
“The attack on the independence of the judiciary and the clampdown on freedom of expression are part of the moves to strengthen despotism,” the opinion piece read.
“Setting up firewalls and downgrading internet services are not going to work for the dispensation mired in deep muddy waters,” the opinion added. “The challenges are too serious for a government lacking public mandate to deal with, and take the country out of, the morass. Its increasing dependence on the security establishment has removed even the pretence of civilian rule. The establishment’s hold is evident in all aspects of decision-making.”
The Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami is believed to have extensive ties with the ISI, with several members having traveled to Pakistan….reports Asian Lite News
The Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, has become the key orchestrator behind the student protests and subsequent upheaval in Bangladesh, India Today reported.
The radical student group is thought to be supported by Pakistan’s ISI, which sought to oust Sheikh Hasina. Hasina was forced to resign as Prime Minister on Monday after the army gave her only 45 minutes to step down and flee the country.
India Today quoted sources revealing that over the past two years, many ICS members have been enrolled in various Bangladeshi universities, where they began inciting student unrest. The recent protests over a contentious quota system for government jobs were predominantly led by these university students.
According to the India Today reports, the ICS’s primary strongholds are Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Jahangir University, Sylhet University, and Rajshahi University. Notably, all student organizations that won university elections in the last three years did so with ICS support. The ICS is believed to have extensive ties with the ISI, with several members having traveled to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, a total of 2,400 individuals, including several top leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, have been granted bail in connection with cases related to the recent violence following student protests in the South Asian country, local media reported on Wednesday.
Among those granted bail are prominent figures such as BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, Bangladesh Jatiyo Party (Manju) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho, and former Ducsu vice-president Nurul Haque Nur, The Dhaka Star reported.
The individuals were produced before the court between July 17 and August 4 on charges of rioting, illegal gatherings, assaulting law enforcers, arson, and damaging property.
Additionally, at least 15 cases were filed over murder, and two under the Cyber Security Act for spreading false and fabricated information on social platforms.
: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina visits Bangladesh Television (BTV) Bhaban to assess the damage caused during recent student protests for public service quota reform, in Dhaka. (Photo: IANS)
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka granted bail to the accused after defence lawyers filed petitions on Tuesday, reports the local media, quoting court staffers.
Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the announcement of an interim government, there was a surge in the sale of bail bonds.
The hearings were held immediately whenever a bail application was made in a political case.
The hearings for bail applications in political cases were expedited, with immediate sessions held upon submission of applications.
Lawyers began queuing to apply for bail for those arrested in political cases starting Tuesday morning. Long lines of lawyers formed at the court booths to purchase bail bonds, following a decision taken during a morning meeting with lawyers at the district judge’s court meeting room, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Nadeem Anjum succeeded Faiz Hameed as DG ISI on November 20, 2021 when the latter was posted as Corps Commander, Peshawar…reports Asian Lite News
Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, has been granted extension in service, media reports said.
A summary in this respect was approved late on Thursday, The News reported.
Earlier, Director General (DG) of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Fuad Asadullah, was retained in December last year when now-former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted him an extension of three years, a week before his retirement, the report said.
Nadeem Anjum succeeded Faiz Hameed as DG ISI on November 20, 2021 when the latter was posted as Corps Commander, Peshawar.
Earlier, he was Commander of Karachi Corps where he had served since his promotion to three-star general in September 2019.
A native of Mohra Sheikhan, Gujjar Khan, Anjum was commissioned in September 1988 and belongs to Pakistan Military Academy’s 78th Long Course. He is from the Punjab Regiment.
Nadeem has served at various important positions right from the restive parts of Federally Administered Tribal Area, now merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to Balochistan and at the Line of Control. He commanded a brigade in Kurram Agency and headed Frontier Constabulary, Balochistan as its Inspector General, The News reported.
He graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom and obtained a masters degree from the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Honolulu, USA.
As against Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed who was fond of publicity, Anjum forbade the PMO from releasing his photos. Once a picture was photoshopped to take him out of the photo during a lun
Imran Khan’s imprisonment following conviction in a corruption case is being projected as “custodial torture” and the “Death of Democracy.” The Army is portrayed as an alleged engineer of the country’s political and electoral processes.… writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
A no-holds-barred campaign abroad against the Pakistani elite, run at the behest of and on behalf of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is hurting the country, adding to its reputation as an unstable polity under social and economic stress.
The principal target is the Pakistan Army whose reputation is being sullied, not as a military but as an alleged engineer of the country’s political and electoral processes. Khan’s imprisonment following conviction in a corruption case is being projected as “custodial torture” and the “Death of Democracy”.
The man being attacked is the army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, whom Khan had scuttled when in power and opposed even later. A protégé-turned-adversary, Khan divided the top military ranks till Munir resorted to ‘cleansing’ his stable. But there is no clear estimation of Khan’s popularity among the top and middle brass and more importantly, Pakistan’s growing middle class.
The campaign is proving formidable for the ‘establishment’ since it is located beyond the country’s borders, in the Western world, notably the United States and the United Kingdom, where the army has, since the birth of Pakistan in 1947, carved a niche in the strategic calculus of how the West views South Asia.
The West is wary of Pakistan because of the latter’s growing alliance and dependence upon China, but old ties and Pakistan’s geopolitical location compel it to keep wooing the country.
Watching the situation closely, the US and the UK are careful not to take sides despite pressures from their vocal Pakistani diasporas. Those in the US have been lobbying with American lawmakers with fair success, analysts say. The arrest of Imran Khan is Pakistan’s “internal matter”, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on August 7, declining to take a position on Khan’s legal troubles. A frequent U.S. critic, he had accused Washington of hatching a ‘conspiracy’ to oust him. A cypher message from the then-Pakistani envoy in Washington, based on talks with Donald Lu of the US State Department that Khan had flaunted on being ousted, continues to fan the controversy.
Certain of being imprisoned, Khan switched strategy and turned his supporters abroad into campaigners against his “human rights violations.” A former cricketing hero and a part of the British elite (he once married a British heiress), Khan has cultivated Pakistanis abroad for many years. It is now paying dividends.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists organized a conference in Washington DC and during this conference, the US Government was asked why a lifeline of 3 billion dollars was given to Pakistan – referring to the IMF standby agreement signed by Pakistan.” This is hurting cash-starved Pakistan which, in need of a USD 33 billion bailout, is lobbying feverishly with the IMF.
“We are not witnessing the first campaign launched by the PTI against the Pakistan Army and surely not the last one, Tariq Aqil writes in The Friday Times (August 26, 2023), warning that “We are not witnessing the first campaign launched by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against Pakistan Army and surely not the last one.”
PTI unveiled 1,000 billboards across the US that carry messages such as “Custodial torture – a disgrace to humanity”, “Forced disappearances of political workers” and “Death of democracy”. Ironically, Khan, as well as his army-backed predecessors, have been accused of these.
Aquil writes of “a series of interviews” of Khan by lobbying groups “for putting pressure on – or at least creating a justification – for the US Department of State, the Congress and the Biden Administration to talk about Khan’s situation in Pakistan and to raise more funds for families of arrested persons – as well as for further advertisement in Europe and North America targeting the Pakistan Army.”
“PTI is also working to arrange money for visits of foreign journalists to Pakistan, who then would produce reports in favour of Imran Khan. The party has very successfully managed to recruit an army of social media warriors and launched a vicious campaign against the military. In fact, social media experts in the US and the UK are now waging a relentless media war against the Pakistani military and all those who dare to oppose Imran Khan in Pakistan.”
Well beyond the reach of the Pakistan Government or even Khan, “the social media soldiers of the PTI are more loyal to the throne than the king himself.”
A prominent campaigner in the US, Sajjad Burki claimed that they have the support of 86 US Congressmen who may lobby for a resolution and a debate condemning the Pakistan government, and this is worrying the latter. For Islamabad, this is unprecedented coming from the diasporas.
When a Khalistan militant fails to further their agenda, they meet a grim end, leading us to ponder whether the slaying of Khalistan activists is an attempt to rid Pakistan of burdensome relics of the past….writes Antariksh Singh
Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan’s simmering rivalry with India has been persistent and pernicious. Its desire to see India destabilized has manifested in continuous attempts to undermine India, most conspicuously embodied in its ‘Bleed India with a thousand cuts’ strategy.
A conspicuous cog in this ongoing plot has been the deployment of Khalistani militants, who have been instrumental in Pakistan’s machinations since the 1980s.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has incessantly sought to exploit Sikh militancy, either by dispatching these insurgents into India, complete with weaponry and explosives, or by providing them refuge to design and execute malevolent schemes.
Paramjit Singh Panjwar
Contrary to popular belief, however, these Sikh militants are not living lavish lives in Pakistan but are instead shackled in gilded cages, their existence monitored by the ISI, and their actions governed by its will.
The leading figures of Sikh militant groups, including Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), Dal Khalsa International (DKI), and Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), currently reside in Pakistan. Yet, their safety is far from assured. Recent incidents, such as the assassination of Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) Chief, Paramjit Singh Panjwad, and the death of Harvinder Singh Rinda, a gangster-turned-terrorist, underscore the precarious nature of their existence.
Logo of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence organization(wikipedia)
It is undeniable that Pakistan, specifically its ISI, has no genuine concern for the welfare of Khalistan and Sikh militants. Their primary intent is to foment instability within India by exploiting these individuals. When a militant fails to further their agenda, they meet a grim end, leading us to ponder whether the slaying of Khalistan activists is an attempt to rid Pakistan of burdensome relics of the past.
In a renewed effort to incite terrorism in Punjab, Pakistan is cunningly seeking to provoke Sikh youth under the guise of Khalistan. Certain Khalistani factions abroad are orchestrating this under the direction of the ISI. The financial fuel for these terror activities is procured through drug trafficking, converting these militants into unwilling drug peddlers. This tragic irony taints Sikhism, a faith vehemently opposed to drug abuse, and tortures the militants mentally, compelling them to ensnare their youth in the addiction abyss.
Further illustrating its indifference towards the religious norms of Sikh militants, Pakistan imposed restrictions on Sikh participation in the funeral of Paramjit Singh Panjwad. Similar restrictions were placed on other militants, denying them the freedom to leave Pakistan or even meet their families during significant personal events.
Paramjit Singh Panjwar
Had these Khalistani leaders faced justice in India, they might have been afforded opportunities to openly meet their families, even if incarcerated. Their release, upon completion of their sentences, would have been a possibility. Sadly, those who have crossed the border face an unending struggle with isolation and manipulation.
Once perceived as the lifeline of the Khalistani movement that sprouted in the 1980s, Pakistan’s facade has gradually crumbled. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (PSGPC), a puppet in the hands of ISI, uses Sikhism as a tool to create divisions within India, demonstrating complete indifference towards the faith and its followers residing in Pakistan.
Sikh militants seeking refuge in Pakistan have remained silent about the treatment of Sikhs in Pakistan, forced conversions, attacks on Gurdwaras, and the dwindling Sikh population. Their silence is a testament to the reality of their existence – suppressed, manipulated, isolated, and discarded when no longer deemed useful. Pakistan’s handling of these militants serves as a stark reminder of its relentless pursuit of destabilizing India, even at the cost of human dignity and lives.
The indifference and pain of these Sikh militants, who are serving a kind of imprisonment in Pakistan, have been described by Gajinder Singh, the leader of the Dal Khalsa, in his latest poem:
Dard tan jhelna hai eh Jalavatni kaho jan jail Eh hai tan umar bhar da khel Khel tan khelna hai eh Dard tan jhelna hai eh Sade hisse dard jhelna hi aaya hai Dard kehna/dasna/sanjha karna nahi aaya Kehn nu tan mere kol bahut kujh hai Par kujh kehn nalon sehna bahut aukha hunda hai, par asi sehna hai. Par ik gal jaroor kehni chahanga, asi eh dard maan nal jhal rahe han te jhalange
After temples, Khalistanis target Indian consulate in Brisbane.
Khalistani Chief Panjwar, who was given a large amount of funds to resurrect Khalistani sentiments in India, had failed to do, which led to him being declared as an entity who had lost his use and hence become expendable….writes Abhinandan Mishra
A senior retired decorated Pakistan Army officer has confirmed how the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was funding, supporting Khalistani armed groups in India and facilitating the entry of drugs and fake Indian currency notes into India.
On 6 May, hours after the absconding chief of Khalistani Commando Force, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, who was given a new identity under the name of Malik Sardar Singh by ISI, was gunned down in Lahore, Major (Retired) Aadil Farooq Raja on his much followed YouTube channel attacked the Pakistan military and the ISI for not being able to protect Panjwar.
As per Raja, who has long ties with the Army, going back three generations, Panjwar was killed in the heart of Lahore in what he claimed was an operation that was executed by the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
However, independent investigation done by The Sunday Guardian, indicates that Panjwar, who was given a large amount of funds to resurrect Khalistani sentiments in India, had failed to do, which led to him being declared as an entity who had lost his use and hence become expendable.
Informed sources told The Sunday Guardian that this money that Panjwar received had come through people suspected to have connections with the Chinese intelligence agency, Minister of State Security (MSS). However, his failure to do what he had committed led to his violent death. Panjwar was a key player in the “K2 project” of ISI and MSS. The K2 project refers to the joint coordination of ISI-MSS to spread disturbance in Kashmir and propagate Khalistani sentiments in Punjab.
Raja, in his “live” telecast, provided details that have not come out in the public domain until now. According to him, Panjwar was provided two gunmen as bodyguard who managed to kill one of the two assailants, while injuring the other. The assailants had come on a motorbike to carry out the attack even as the 50-year-old Panjwar was taking his routine morning walk outside his home at Sunflower Housing society of Lahore.
At least ten of Raja’s cousins are still serving in the Army and all his course mates are working in the position of lieutenant general and above and hence the pool from where he collects his information is quite large.
To be sure, R&AW has never claimed in the past or is unlikely to do in the near present, responsibility for any such operations that have taken place targeting proclaimed offenders and terrorists.
“His protection was the responsibility of ISI and the Army. This is a massive failure of Brigadier Rashid Naseer, who is heading ISI in Punjab, Director General of ISI Nadeem Anjum and Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir. The ISI and the Army should not have given refuge to the Khalistani commando chief if they could not protect him and they failed to protect him because either they are busy in doing politics or have backstabbed the Sikhs again,” Raja said.
According to Raja, the timing of the attack too has raised questions, as it came even as Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto was visiting India, whose mother he claimed (former PM Benazir Bhutto) shared with India the details of all the Khalistani operatives that were infiltrated by ISI in Punjab, India through marriages and other methods in December 1988.
Raja claimed that the said list was provided to Indian officials by Choudhary Aitzaz Ahsan, the 26th interior minister from December 1988 to August 1990 on the orders of Benazir.
Raja also mentioned the name of former ISI director, Shamsur Rahman Kallue who served as the agency’s ninth DG from May 1989-August 1990 as being a part of this whole Benazir Bhutto led plan, which he said was a part of the “peace initiative” that Bhutto wanted to execute with India.
Raja then went on to reveal how Panjwar came to Pakistan as the head of KCF in the 1990 and carried out many attacks in India. According to him, General Arun Kumar Vaidya, the former Chief of Indian Army, was killed by Panjwar and KCF in August 1986. Raja revealed that the Majha belt of Punjab was Panjwar’s stronghold and after the death of Vaidya, the KCF chief fled India and was given refuge in Pakistan.
Significantly, Raja mentioned about the present role that Panjwar was playing in distributing drugs in Pakistan.
“Panjwar had kept alive the KCF until now. He was the man behind ‘udta Punjab’ and he was sending the heroine to Punjab. He was the main link between handlers, drug peddlers in India and Pakistan. Panjwar used Radio Pakistan to propagate Khalistani propaganda in Pakistan and India. He was involved in drug distribution and Fake Indian Currency Trade (FICN) which was necessary as he had to raise funds to keep the issue of Khalistan alive,” Raja recalled.
According to him, multiple serving Pakistani Army generals were earning money through this oil, arms, drug and FICN smuggling.
The 1978 Peshawar born Major Aadil Farooq Raja is no ordinary Pakistani Army officer. Raja, who is based in London now, is a staunch supporter of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan and a known critic of the present Pakistani military establishment.
However, it is not his present, but his past that makes his claims credible.
He is a third-generation Army soldier. His grandfather Mohammad Akbar Khan served in the 1948, 1965 and 1971 wars with India. He became a prisoner of war (PoW) for four years before he was released by India. Khan, who had four sons, shifted to Canada after his release.
All his four sons later joined the Pakistani military. Two of his sons, including the father of Aadil Farooq Raja joined the Army. Of the remaining two, one son joined the Air Force, while the youngest son joined the Navy.
Raja’s maternal uncle too was in Armoured Corp, his grandfather was an officer of the Intelligence Bureau and was based in London.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMp2UDfmT8
Adil Raja himself joined the Pakistan Army in 1996 through the 99 long courses of the Pakistan Military Academy and passed out in August 1999. He started with the 18 Horse Regiment of the Armed Corp. He served during the Kargil War and then was posted at the Siachen Glacier. He also served with the 12 Frontier Force and then as wing commander in the Khyber Rifles. He faced four IED attacks and one suicide bomber attack.
He resigned in 2015 when he was posted in the SWAT region. He was given retirement on medical reasons and for post traumatic stress disorder. While in the Army, he completed his Masters in International Relations from the University of Peshawar.
After retiring, he started working with the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces on 5th generation warfare and constituted a team that was actively engaged in hybrid war against Pakistan’s adversaries.
For three years, he served as the Spokesperson of the Pakistan Ex Servicemen Society from which he resigned on 19 April 2018. His house was then raided by the ISI on 21 April 2022 after which he shifted to London. The Sunday Guardian reached out to Raja for a response on his claims, but no response was received till the time the story went to print.
(140901) -- ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1, 2014 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani paramilitary troops stand guard during a clash in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Sept. 1, 2014. At least 15 more people were injured on Monday afternoon as clashes erupted again between protesters and police in Pakistani capital of Islamabad, local media reported. (Xinhua/Stringer)
This smuggling network has allegedly fueled the Khalistan movement and played a key role in the formation and operation of narco-terrorism.
A recent interview between retired Pakistani military officers Colonel Akbar Hussain and Major Adil Raja has revealed that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan operates an extensive smuggling network that involves high-ranking army officers.
This network has allegedly fueled the Khalistan movement and played a key role in the formation and operation of narco-terrorism.
Colonel Akbar Hussain, in the video interview, spoke to retired Pakistani military officer and YouTuber Major Adil Raja, who provided insight into the activities of the ISI.
The intelligence agency facilitated the smuggling of drugs into India, using terrorists like Panjwad as pawns, according to Major Adil Raja.
Colonel Hussain explained that several high-ranking military officials are complicit in this illegal drug network, which reflects poorly on the battalion units and dishonours the Pakistani flag.
Major Adil Raja also alleged that the ISI raises funds under the guise of black operations, which are then misappropriated or used to finance smuggling and contraband networks.
He claims that Panjwad, under ISI protection, supplied illegal arms and drugs to India from across the border. The intelligence agency relied on Panjwad to escalate Khalistani separatism in Punjab and orchestrate terrorist attacks, such as the 1999 bomb blast near the Chandigarh passport office.
Panjwad, who was known as Malik Sardar Singh in Lahore, was ultimately gunned down by unidentified assailants on May 6, 2023, in Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan, and his organization, the KCF, was designated as a terrorist group by the Indian government in July 2020.
Major Adil Raja also alleged that the Pakistani army employed actresses as honey traps. Pakistani actress Sajal Aly has since responded to these defamatory allegations on social media.
Additionally, Major Adil Raja accused the ISI of tracking him and attempting to hack his virtual presence last month.
The Gulzar Imam story: ISI acknowledges today what everyone else knew last year.(photo:IN)
That Imam was in Pakistani custody was known since September 2022, reports Rahul Kumar
Pakistani spy agency ISI has finally revealed after months of speculation what was known all along – that Gulzar Imam, founder of the Baloch National Army (BNA), is under Pakistan’s arrest.
However, it hid the information that people wanted confirmation about – how and where was Imam arrested and with whose operational support.
On Friday, the spy agency’s public relations wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), published a media statement on its website: “In a high profile and a successful Intelligence Operation, Lead Intelligence Agency successfully apprehended a High Value Target (HVT) Gulzar Imam alias Shambay. He has been a hardcore militant as well as founder and leader of the banned outfit Baloch National Army (BNA) which came into being after amalgamation of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA). BNA had been responsible for dozens of violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including attacks on Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) Installations in Panjgur and Noshki.”
That Imam was in Pakistani custody was known since September 2022. It was widely known among Baloch circles and Pakistani journalists that Imam had been trapped and arrested with help from a friendly Muslim country in Europe. What was not known was how and where he was arrested.
In September 2022, even Imam’s organisation BNA, had refused to comment on his capture. The other Baloch organisations also kept quiet, fuelling rumours.
The BNA finally revealed in November that chief Gulzar Imam was in the custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies. It still did not mention when, where or how was Imam arrested. The BNA also said that it is conducting investigations and it will find out the culprits involved in Imam’s capture.
Various Baloch sources, including ones in Europe, had told India Narrative that internally it was known that Imam had been arrested possibly around May 2022 but the entire action around his arrest had been kept a top secret. Other sources had said that he was arrested around August-September 2022.
Speculation said that Imam was lured to Afghanistan where he was captured by spy agencies in the Pakistani embassy. His travel documents were prepared and he was asked to travel to Turkey, where he was arrested and transferred to Pakistan.
Another report had claimed that he was arrested in Turkey after he arrived there from Iran after having crossed the Pakistan-Iran border. Yet another rumour said that he had been detained in the Balkan region in a collaborative operation between Pakistani spy agencies and a friendly Muslim nation.
The ISPR in its statement said that Imam was a deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and was “also instrumental in formation of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) and remained its Operational Head”.
The spy agency has said that Imam has visited Afghanistan and India and those links are being investigated.
The ISPR statement does hint at the complexity of the operation through which Imam was captured. “He was apprehended after an innovatively conceived, carefully planned and meticulously executed operation, spanned over months over various geographical locations,” says the spy agency.
The Baloch have been running an ethnic insurgency against Pakistan, seeking independence on historical and economic grounds. The community says that it was an independent nation which was forcefully taken over by the Pakistani army in March 1948, soon after India’s independence.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Pak defence minister said an agenda was ruthlessly pushed against the then Nawaz Sharif government
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif insists that former spy master Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed played a key role in removing Nawaz Sharif from premiership, local media reported.
Asif feigned ignorance about any investigation related to Gen Hameed’s brothers, as opposed to the claims made by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Samaa TV reported.
The defence minister said if party leader Maryam Nawaz has made any comments about the probes, she must have some information.
He said a lot of evidence has come into the public domain that a process had started during Nawaz Sharif’s prime ministership.
An agenda was ruthlessly pushed against the then Nawaz Sharif government, Samaa TV reported.
Asif also alleged that Lt Gen (retd) Hameed played a key role in removing Nawaz Sharif, and bringing PTI chief Imran Khan to power.
He added that Khan’s wishes were implemented by the former spy chief.
“We are talking about the accountability of a former soldier,” Asif stressed, Samaa TV reported.
He alleged that the 2018 elections were engineered, people were imprisoned and punished.
If Khan was honest, he remarked, the country would have gone on the path of development. He further said if Khan had admitted that the army was neutral, there would have been an improvement in country’s affairs.
He claimed Khan wanted Hameed to remain the chief of the premier intelligence agency, and wanted to appoint him the army chief, Samaa TV reported.
He taunted that PTI Chairman could make anyone his “political godfather” for personal gains.
