ISLAMABAD, March 10, IRNA – Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has appointed Lt. General Zaheer-ul-Islam as the new chief of the country’s major intelligence agency, the Prime Minister office said.

Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the incumbent chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will retire on March 18.

“Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has appointed Lt. General Zaheer ul Islam, Corps Commander Karachi, as new Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI),” a brief statement from the PM office said.

Pakistan arrests over 250 Afghan nationals

A police officer said that all Afghan nationals were detained by the security forces during a checking at a check post of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

'All the detained Afghan nationals did not posses traveling documents,” a police officer said.

He said that the Afghans were on way to Panjgur in a passenger coach with intention to enter Iran through border town of Pakistan.

A police officer Qazi Wahid said that the Afghans will be handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency for further investigation.

Afghan Foreign Ministry has said that the government is in contact with Pakistan for their release.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Musazai told the media in Kabul that the government has asked all Afghans to avoid travelling to other countries without required travel documents.

He requested the Pakistani government to repatriate the detained Afghans.