Naseem Rana Lieutenant - General Naseem Rana ( Urdu : نسيم رانا ; born 20 September 1942 ) is a retired three - star general in the Pakistan Army , who served as the director - general of the Inter - Services Intelligence ( ISI ) from 1995 to October 1998 . Military career . Rana was born in middle - class family of Rawalpindi , British Indian Empire in 1942 , in the midst of World War II . After receiving his initial education , Rana went on to join the Pakistan Military Academy in 1960 as he received the letter of acceptance . Rana ' gained his B . Sc . in Information technology and specialized in military communications . After his graduation , Rana was given commissioned in the Corps of Signals Engineering on 19 April 1964 . Rana participated in Indo - Pakistani war of 1965 and led a Signals platoon . After the war , Rana was sent to complete a military staff course in Quetta . In 1967 , Rana joined the Command and Staff College in Quetta and where he gained Master in Military science in 1969 . Following his degree , Rana was promoted to Lieutenant - Colonel and commanded the Signal battalion . Stationed close to the Indo - Pakistani border , Rana ' commanded the Signals battlion during the Indo - Pakistani war of 1971 . After the war , Rana ' served in Lahore and later joined the National Defence University in 1974 . In 1976 , Rana obtained Master in Operational analysis and was promoted to the rank of Colonel . Following his degree , Rana was made Colonel on the Staff of the 40th Army Infantry Division and served there until 1980 . In 1981 , Rana went to United States and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College . Staff appointments . Rana is a prominent attendee of the international Defence Management course in the United States where he gained specialized degree in operational and command analysis in 1984 . After his education , Rana began in active duty and was stationed near the Pakistan - Afghanistan border where a major battle against the Soviet Union and her ally Soviet Afghanistan was undertaking . As part of the successful covert operations , Rana remained a vital part in the war and coordinated joint operations in the war . During 1980 ' s , Rana was made instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics followed by academic professor at the Command and Staff College Quetta . In Late 1980 ' s , Rana was promoted to 1 - star Brigadier General and was made director - general of the Combat Development Directorate , and later he was made directorate - general of the Weapon and Equipment Directorate . In 1991 , Rana was promoted to two star Major - General and was made General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division based in Punjab . In 1995 , he was promoted to three star Lieutenant General and was appointed as the Director General of the Inter - Services Intelligence ( " ISI " ) as critical developments were taking place in Afghanistan . War in Afghanistan . In 1996 , a civil war was spread in all over Afghanistan involving the Afghan Taliban and the Northern Alliance . During the course of the civil war , Rana commanded the ISI in support of the Taliban , playing a pivotal role in providing help to irregular hardline forces supporting the Taliban against the United Front ( Northern Alliance ) . In 1997 , independent brigades of 40th Infantry and the Frontier Force Regiment moved to protect the Pakistani border from any infiltrations From 1995 until 2001 , Rana was the central planner for Pakistan ' s war in Afghanistan where he was responsible for coordinating military , intelligence , and strategic operations against the Northern Alliance . His role in the Pakistan war in Afghanistan was vital as he served as the commander of entire Pakistan Army ' s combatant elements in the Afghanistan . In 2005 , Dr . Ayesha Siddiqa , one of Pakistan ' s top military scientist , wrote and published a book , titled " " The Military Economy " " providing the accounts of his military involvements in Afghanistan . Dr . Ayesha Siddiqa rendered him as Georgy Zhukov of Pakistan , due to his resemblance to Georgy Zhukov . She also noted in her book over his operational leadership that was highly compared to Georgy Zhukov by dr . Siddiqa . Defence Secretary . Shortly after General Musharraf installed a military government , Rana was appointed as the Defence Secretary of Pakistan , a post he headed as Lieutenant - General until 2001 . In the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11 , 2001 , General Musharraf immediately removed him from the post as he was one of the primary figures involved with the Taliban in Afghanistan . Within days , Rana was re - located and decided to remained silent . Nowadays he lives in Islamabad .