IB DG: Dr Suleman Khan likely to be new civilian spymaster

‘Delay in appointment of IB DG was due to the pending promotion of Khan’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s civilian intelligence arm Intelligence Bureau (IB) is finally expected to see Dr Suleman Khan as the new director general of the spy agency.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday approved Suleman Khan’s name for promotion from basic pay scale 21 to 22, which likely makes his appointment soon as the IB DG, official sources told The Express Tribune.

“His candidature has finally been approved,” said a source in knowledge of the matter regarding PM’s decision to elevate Khan as IB DG. However, a formal approval is yet to be accorded and related notification is yet to be issued.

Dr Suleman is currently performing duties on deputation in IB. He is IB’s head as Joint Director for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

During his ongoing tenure at IB, Khan has to his credit a number of successful counterterrorism and counter intelligence operations in K-P, which the IB launched in collaboration with other security agencies and law enforcement apparatuses, according to sources.



PM Abbasi on Wednesday chaired a low-key meeting of the High Powered Board to review promotion cases of different officers from BPS-21 to BPS-22. Khan was said to be among those officers whose cases were approved for promotion.

The month-long delay in the appointment of IB DG had much to do with the pending promotion of Suleman Khan which was finally granted in the high-level huddle presided by the PM, said the sources.

The PM reviewed a number of names for IB DG appointment following retirement of Aftab Sultan on April 2 but did not make a final choice. The premier considered names of IB Academy Commandant Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak, IB Joint Director Fawad Asadullah and IB Joint Director Dr Suleman Khan, sources said.

Thereafter, a number of other names were also reportedly considered including Punjab Police Inspector General Arif Nawaz Khan, Federal Investigation Agency DG Bashir Ahmed Memon, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) National Coordinator Ihsan Ghani, IB Joint Director Shujaatullah Qureshi and National Police Bureau DG Shaukat Hayat.

However, only Fawad Asadullah, and Shujaatullah Qureshi are officers of BPS-21and originally belong to IB out of these candidates.  All the other officers belong to Police Service of Pakistan and are now serving in BPS-22. With the exception of Arif Nawaz, other police officers are on deputation in the respective departments.

It is also learnt that some of the senior officers the PM was interested to select as the civilian spymaster excused themselves in accepting the position, which is also the main reason for the delay.

“There’s no guarantee that the IB DG appointed by this government would be allowed to continue during caretaker set-up as it’s quite possible that top officials…reshuffled once caretaker is in place, after May 31,” said one of the candidates for the IB DG slot, requesting anonymity.

Officials close to the PM said that the premier and his government wanted to give Aftab Sultan yet another extension as DG but Sultan himself was no more inclined to continue. “Next few months are very crucial…we need a trusted confidante to ‘take care of the things.’ A new candidate at the helm would take quite some time to settle down,” sources explained the rationale behind government’s wish that Sultan should continue.

Some officials believed that government functionaries kept trying to persuade Sultan to accept extension for the fourth consecutive term but he was reluctant to accept this offer.



Aftab Sultan was first appointed as IB DG in October 2011 by the then PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. In March 2013, he was appointed as Punjab IGP by caretaker PM Mir Hazar Khan Khoso ahead of general elections held in May 2013. The next month, in June 2013, the former PM Nawaz Sharif appointed Sultan as IB DG. He retired from service in BPS 22 in 2014 and was given annual extensions in service twice before being given two-year extension by Sharif in February 2016.