Robert Cawthome

Sir Robert Cawthome (Urdu: رابرٹ کوتھوم‎) was the co-founder of the Inter-Services Intelligence and founder of Pakistan Army Corps of Signals. He served as two star Major-General in the Pakistan army and later as 2nd Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence.

Robert Bill Cawthome was born in Australia and was a major general in the British Indian Army in the British India. After independence of Pakistan and India, he moved to Pakistan and joined the newly formed Pakistan army. He formed Pakistan Army Corps of Signals and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the army. Cawthome founded the Inter-Services Intelligence in 1948 along with Syed Shahid Hamid and some others after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, which exposed weaknesses in intelligence gathering between the Pakistan Army, Air Force, Navy, Intelligence Bureau and Military Intelligence. The policies of the agency were his brain-child. He was promoted to two star Major-General in the army. In 1950 he became Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence preceding Syed Shahid Hamid. He was succeeded by Riaz Hussain in 1959. After his retirement, Cawthome moved back to the United Kingdom and lived there till his death. He still remains the longest-serving DG ISI, serving in the position for nine years.