Pakistani Changes ISI Chief

Pakistan has appointed a new chief for the ISI, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha. A statement issued by the military said that army chief General Ashfaq Kayani will be overseeing a major overhaul of the ISI. General Ashfaq Kayani was the director of the ISI from 2004 to 2007 when he replaced Musharraf as military chief.

Knowing Pakistan's history of playing double games, this latest development could be just that. In my opinion this reshuffling will not accomplish much. Much of the inflitration of the ISI and military starts all the way to the lowest ranks and works it way up. Just switching a few commanders here and there will not dramatically change anything. Ecodiario

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has appointed a new chief for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate, months after U.S. officials had questioned the reliability of the military's premier spy agency in the war against terrorism.

A military statement issued around midnight on Monday announced a major overhaul of Pakistan's top brass by army chief General Ashfaq Kayani.

The reshuffle will be closely scrutinised by the intelligence community in the United States and neighbours in the region.

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Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, formerly head of military operations, has been appointed Director-General of the ISI, replacing Lieutenant-General Nadeem Taj.

Kayani, who had been ISI chief until a year ago, also replaced four of the nine corps commanders and appointed a new chief of general staff.

Often referred to by critics as a "state within a state," the ISI is feared by neighbouring Afghanistan and India, as well as Pakistan's civilian politicians whose governments have been overthrown by military coups