Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha was born in 1952. He has commanded an infantry division, a mechanized infantry brigade, an infantry battalion and has served as the Chief Instructor and Commandant of the Command and Staff College of the Pakistani Army. From 2001-2002, General Pasha served as a Contingent and Sector Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone. Pasha was also selected as Military Adviser to Secretary General of United Nations however due to his commitments in Pakistan never joined the UN. From April 2006 to September 2008 Pasha was the director general of military operations for the Pakistani army.

The newly elected civilian government of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Jilani tried for two months to gain control of the appointment for the director of the ISI as well as place the agency under the administrative, financial, and operational control of the Interior Ministry. However, the attempt failed when Chief of the Army, General Kayani appointed Pasha on September 29, 2008. Gen. Pasha’s prior post was responsible for planning operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the FATA and NWFP provinces of Pakistan. Pasha is closely allied to General Kayani.