Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik, the current Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been appointed as the country’s new National Security Adviser (NSA). The high-ranking military officer will take on the NSA role as an additional charge, effective immediately.
Lt Gen Malik’s appointment comes at a sensitive moment, as Pakistan faces growing diplomatic pressure following the Pahalgam terror attack in India, which left 26 civilians dead, mostly tourists.
Who is Lt Gen Asim Malik?
A seasoned three-star general, Mohammad Asim Malik hails from a Punjabi Awan family in Shahpur, Sargodha District, and is the son of retired Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) as part of the 80th Long Course and was awarded the prestigious Sword of Honour on graduation. Commissioned into the 12th Baloch Regiment in 1989, Malik has remained closely associated with it throughout his military career.
Lt Gen Malik holds a B.Sc from the University of Balochistan, and has trained at Fort Leavenworth (USA) and the Royal College of Defence Studies (UK). Notably, he is the first PhD holder to lead the ISI, with a doctorate in US-Pakistan relations from Pakistan’s National Defence University (NDU).
His command experience includes leading a brigade in Waziristan and the 41st Infantry Division in Balochistan. He has also served in key academic and strategic roles, including as an instructor at Command and Staff College, Chief Instructor at NDU, and a senior officer in the Military Operations Directorate.
Before taking over the ISI in September 2024, Malik served as Adjutant General at GHQ, where he played a central role in overseeing legal actions against former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed and former PM Imran Khan, particularly during the controversial May 9 protests.
Lt Gen Malik now takes on the NSA role during a period of rising Indo-Pak tensions, adding a critical dimension to his already powerful portfolio.
