Zaheer-ul-Islam HI (M), () is a retired

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

who served as the 25th 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. At the time of his appointment, he was serving as the Corps Commander

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

. In 2012 ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' named him as the world's 52nd most powerful person.

Early and personal life

He was born into a

Janjua The Janjua or Janjhua is a Punjabi Rajput clan found predominantly in the Pothohar Plateau of Pakistani Punjab, but also in the states of Punjab and Haryana in India. History and origin Origin The Janjuas had engaged in a long-running s ...

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

family in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. His father retired as a brigadier in the

, while his three brothers and his brother-in-law Major Ejaz Aziz also retired as military officers. His uncle was

Shah Nawaz Khan Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

, a major general in the

Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...

. In 2012, it was alleged that Islam is related to

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...

. The

denied the allegations and said since Lateef Fatima, the mother of Khan, is the adopted daughter of

, Lateef and her son bare no blood relation to Islam. However, in an interview, Shah Rukh Khan clarified that it was his father who was a cousin of Shah Nawaz Khan.

Military career

Zaheerul Islam was commissioned in the

Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...

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 lieutenant general and moved to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

as the Commander of the

. He was the GOC of the 12th Division for some time before coming to the ISI. He also served as

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Army Strategic Forces Command from 2004 to 2006.

Political career

Zaheer-ul-Islam became politically active in June 2022 when he publicly shown support for the

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

. Previously, in 2020, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

accused Zaheer-ul-Islam of seeking his resignation during the 2014 Azadi march. Islam denied the allegations.

References

Living people 1956 births Pakistan Army lieutenant generals Punjab Regiment officers Directors General of Inter-Services Intelligence Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Pakistan Military Academy alumni National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Pakistani Muslims {{Pakistan-mil-bio-stub