ISLAMABAD, March 17: The government has sacked the controversial Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director-General Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah. Brig Shah paid a farewell call on caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro.

Mr Soomro expressed appreciation for his service and wished success in his future, a press release issued by the government said.

Appointed in 2004, the IB chief became a controversial personality and he was accused of using his department for political victimisation and for undermining the judiciary.

Mr Shah, a former official of Inter-Services Intelligence, was said to have worked as a close associate of President Pervez Musharraf.

He was one of the people named by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto as the prime suspects in the bombing attack on her homecoming procession in Karachi in October last year.