Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence
{{Short description|DG ISI & MI}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = Director-General
| body = Inter-Services Intelligence
| flag =
| flagsize =
| flagcaption =
| insignia =
| insigniasize = 80px
| insigniacaption =
| department = Inter-Services Intelligence
| image =
| imagesize =
| incumbent = Asim Malik
| incumbentsince = 30 September 2024
| abbreviation = DG ISI
| member_of = National Security Council
| appointer = Prime Minister
| appointerpost =
| termlength = 3 years
| residence = Chaklala, Rawalpindi
| formation = 1948
| succession =
| deputy =
| inaugural = Walter Cawthorn
| website =
}}
The Director-General (DG) is head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence service, operationally responsible for providing critical national security and intelligence assessment to the government of Pakistan. Walter Cawthorn had conceived the idea of ISI. Afterwards, Brigadier Syed Shahid Hamid took over and was later promoted to a two-star rank of a major general and became the second director-general of the ISI.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_cgDgAAQBAJ&q=%22Walter%22|title=Faith, Unity, Discipline|year=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-84904-863-7 }}{{Cite web|title=Average tenure of 22 ISI chiefs in 70 years has been 3.18 years|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/379832-average-tenure-of-22-isi-chiefs-in-70-years-has-been-3-18-years|access-date=2021-04-04|website=www.thenews.com.pk|language=en}}
The current DG of ISI is Lt. General Asim Malik since 30 September 2024.{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1860627/lt-gen-asim-malik-appointed-new-dg-isi-state-media|title=Lt Gen Asim Malik appointed new DG ISI: state media|date=23 September 2024}}
List of directors
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| #
!Portrait !Name !Start of term !End of term |
|---|
| 1
|95px |January 1948 |June 1948 |
| 2
| |14 July 1948{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_cgDgAAQBAJ&q=shahid|title=Faith, Unity, Discipline: The Inter-Service-Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan|first=Dr. Hein|last=Kiessling|year=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-84904-863-7 }}{{cite web|url=https://dailyausaf.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1880120609-1687412066-937161019.jpg.avif|title=Appointments : Officers|date=13 July 1948}} |22 August 1950 |
| 3
| |May 1951 |
| 4
| |May 1951 |April 1953 |
| 5
| |April 1953 |August 1955 |
| 6
| Malik Sher Bahadur |August 1955 |September 1957 |
| 7
| Muhammad Hayat |September 1957 |October 1959 |
| 8
| |Brigadier{{ref|a}} |October 1959 |May 1966 |
| 9
| Muhammad Akbar Khan{{cite web|url=https://www.brownpundits.com/2016/10/25/general-mohammed-akbar-khan/|title=General Mohammed Akbar Khan (and some others)|date=25 October 2016 }} |May 1966 |September 1971 |
| 10
| |Major General{{ref|b}} |
| 11
| |17 September 1978 |20 June 1979 |
| 12
| Akhtar Abdur Rahman |21 June 1979 |29 March 1987 |
| 13
| Hamid Gul |29 March 1987 |29 May 1989 |
| 14
|File:Shamsur Rahman Kallue in 1971.jpg Shamsur Rahman Kallu |30 May 1989 |August 1990 |
| 15
| Asad Durrani |August 1990 |13 March 1992 |
| 16
| Javed Nasir |14 March 1992 |13 May 1993 |
| 17
|File:Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi (2012).jpg Javed Ashraf Qazi |14 May 1993 |October 1995 |
| 18
| |October 1995 |
| 19
| Ziauddin Butt |October 1998 |12 October 1999 |
| 20
| Mahmud Ahmed |20 October 1999 |7 October 2001 |
| 21
Ehsan ul Haq |7 October 2001 |5 October 2004 |
| 22
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani |5 October 2004 |8 October 2007 |
| 23
| Nadeem Taj |9 October 2007 |29 September 2008 |
| 24
Ahmad Shuja Pasha |1 October 2008 |18 March 2012 |
| 25
| Zaheerul Islam |19 March 2012 |7 November 2014 |
| 26
| |7 November 2014 |11 December 2016 |
| 27
| |11 December 2016 |25 October 2018 |
| 28
Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah |25 October 2018 |16 June 2019 |
| 29
| Faiz Hameed |17 June 2019 |19 Nov 2021 |
| 30
|File:Nadeem Anjum (cropped).jpg | 20 November 2021 | 29 September 2024 |
| 31
| |style="background:#e6e6aa;" |Lieutenant General | style="background:#e6e6aa;" |30 September 2024 | style="background:#e6e6aa;" | Incumbent |
