Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed reports that he was considering a proposal to grant another extension to ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and said a decision on this issue would be made at the 'appropriate time'.
Gilani rubbished reports in a section of the media about his government giving another extension to Pasha, whose current term ends in March, in an attempt to heal a rift with the security establishment.
"Any decision about an extension for the (Director General of the) ISI will be taken at an appropriate time," Gilani said during an interaction with Pakistani journalists last night following his return from Switzerland, where he
attended the World Economic Forum.
Sources said that the Pakistan People's Party-led government was not in favour of giving another extension to Pasha, whose tenure was extended twice after he reached the age of retirement in March 2010.
He is currently set to step down on March 18.
It is believed that the government's decision has largely been influenced by Pasha's role in the standoff between the military and the civilian government over the alleged memo that had sought US help to stave off a feared coup in Pakistan last year.
During his media interaction last night, Gilani again sought to put behind him differences with the military over the memo scandal and his criticism of the army and ISI chiefs for submitting affidavits on the memo issue to the Supreme
Court without getting the government s approval.
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