Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief and President of the National Defence University (NDU) Lt General Rizwan Akhtar has requested premature retirement from the Pakistan Army.

It has been learnt that Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, who was due to retire in October next year, has made the request citing some ‘pressing personal commitments’.

Gen Akhtar, in a letter, asked for ‘premature release’ starting Oct 9, 2017, after nearly 35 years of active commissioned service in the armed forces.

“I want everyone to respect my decision and not succumb or resort to speculation in any domain. I shall be available for any service in the army whenever needed,” he said in his letter.

He expressed “sincere gratitude and appreciation for all my seniors, comrades, and staff, my family, to have provided required guidance and support through my journey in the army.”

The three-star general is set to be released Monday (today) from the armed forces.

Lt Gen Akhtar, who was replaced by Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar as DG ISI, was posted as president of the National Defence University two weeks after Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa took oath last year.

Gen Akhtar is a graduate of the Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defence University and the Army War College, USA. He was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in Frontier Force Regiment in September 1982.

Previously as DG Rangers Sindh, Lt Gen Akhtar had been assigned with the task to lead the Karachi operation which began in 2013. But the military had replaced him with Maj Gen Bilal Akbar in 2014.

Published in Daily Times, October 9^th 2017.