THE announcement that Lt-Gen Zahir ul Islam is to replace the retiring Lt-Gen Shuja Pasha as ISI chief is a moment to reflect on the future direction of the country`s most famous some may argue infamous intelligence agency. Trying to predict the vision and agenda of an ISI chief based on his service record and a few nuggets of information is a fool`s errand and akin to reading tea leaves. But Gen Islam will have several important choices before him when he takes up his new assignment later this month. He could continue the process of disengaging the ISI from a direct and influential role in the political process that, oddly enough, was begun under Gen Pasha.

For when the history of Gen Pasha`s service is written, it will likely be acknowledged that his was a tenure of two halves.

During his original term in office, Gen Pasha avoided overt meddling in the political process but after his extension was granted, and in particular the last few months of his service which have been embroiled in the `memogate` controversy, the ISI has been perceived to have once again upped its involvement in politics. The allegations surrounding the creation of the Difaa-iPakistan Council and sponsorship of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf have been particularly damaging.

So Gen Islam will quickly have to decide if hewants to return to the original, hands-off approach of Gen Pasha or continue with the more intrusive political role that has characterised his last leg in office. The preferred option, at least from the standpoint of what the ISPs core competence is and what the constitutional democratic order demands, is of course obvious: the ISI should wrap up its political activities and focus on the fight against militancy. With the so-called Afghan endgame likely to be played out on Gen Islam`s watch, with militancy inside Pakistan morphing and still posing a formidable threat, and with Pakistan`s cooperation with the outside world on curbing Islamist militancy likely to continue to be under serious scrutiny, Gen Islam and the agency he will lead have more than enough to contend with without adding domestic political machinations to the mix.

With the appointment of Gen Islam, perhaps the recent practice of giving extensions in service to certain officers should also come to an end. Extensions are a controversial matter outside the armed services as well as inside, as the outgoing air force chief`s comments indicated. A professional institution with highly qualified and competent officers such as the Pakistan armed forces has no need for indispensables. When it`s time to go, it`s time to go.