Key Points
- Dual Role for ISI Chief: Lt Gen Mohammad Asim Malik, Pakistan’s ISI chief, has been appointed as National Security Adviser (NSA), consolidating control over intelligence and security policymaking.
- First-Ever Concurrent Appointment: Malik is the first serving ISI chief to simultaneously hold the NSA post, a move seen as unprecedented in Pakistan’s security establishment.
- Crisis Response: The appointment comes amid surging India-Pakistan tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people and has raised fears of Indian military retaliation.
- Vacant Since 2022: The NSA role had been vacant since April 2022, highlighting the urgency and significance of Malik’s appointment.
- Extensive Military Credentials: Malik is a decorated officer, Sword of Honour recipient, and has held key posts in Balochistan, Waziristan, and Pakistan’s National Defence University.
Islamabad: In a major shakeup at the top of Pakistan’s security establishment, Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik, the current chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been given the additional charge of National Security Adviser (NSA). The move, formalized by a government notification on April 29, comes as Islamabad grapples with heightened diplomatic and military tensions with India following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Why This Appointment Matters
This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a serving ISI chief has been tasked to concurrently serve as NSA, reflecting the country’s intent to centralize security decision-making in a period of acute crisis. The NSA post had remained vacant since April 2022, when Dr. Moeed Yusuf stepped down after the ouster of the PTI government.
Malik’s dual role is widely seen as an effort to ensure seamless coordination between intelligence operations and national security strategy-especially as fears of an Indian military response loom large following the Pahalgam attack, which India has blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
Profile: Lt Gen Mohammad Asim Malik
- Military Career: Malik is a three-star general, commissioned into the 12th Baloch Regiment in 1989. He has commanded the Infantry Brigade in Waziristan and the Infantry Division in Balochistan, two regions critical to Pakistan’s internal security.
- Academic Distinction: A Sword of Honour recipient at the Pakistan Military Academy, Malik holds a B.Sc from the University of Balochistan, is a graduate of Fort Leavenworth (US), and the Royal College of Defence Studies (UK), and has a PhD in US-Pakistan relations from the National Defence University in Islamabad.
- Leadership Roles: Before becoming ISI chief in September/October 2024, Malik served as Adjutant General at army headquarters and as chief instructor at the National Defence University.
Strategic Implications
Malik’s appointment is seen as a signal that Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership are united on national security policy at a time of unprecedented external and internal challenges. The dual role is expected to enhance synergy between intelligence gathering and strategic decision-making, as Islamabad faces not only the fallout from the Pahalgam attack and the threat of Indian retaliation, but also ongoing unrest in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and evolving dynamics in Afghanistan.
What’s Next?
As NSA, Malik will serve as the principal adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on security, foreign policy, and strategic affairs, while continuing to head Pakistan’s most powerful intelligence agency. Analysts believe this consolidation of power is meant to enable a rapid, unified response to both domestic and external threats.
Lt Gen Mohammad Asim Malik’s elevation to Pakistan’s NSA-while retaining his ISI chief post-marks an unprecedented consolidation of security authority as the country faces a volatile standoff with India and mounting internal security challenges. The move underscores Islamabad’s intent to present a unified front and streamline its security apparatus in a period of crisis.
