New Delhi: India’s strong reaction and stern warning after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam have unsettled Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has appointed Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik, who also serves as the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as its new National Security Advisor (NSA). This appointment has been formally issued as an ‘additional charge.’ It is believed that Pakistan has taken this step due to India’s decisive response. Asim Malik was appointed as the ISI chief in September 2024.
Mohammad Asim Malik is a three-star general (Lieutenant General) from a Punjabi Awan family with ancestral roots in Shahpur, located in the Sargodha District of Punjab province. His father, Ghulam Muhammad, is a retired Lieutenant General.
Asim Malik education
Asim Malik graduated from the University of Balochistan in 1999. He furthered his studies in defence at Fort Leavenworth in the United States and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He earned a PhD in US-Pakistan relations from an Islamabad university.
Malik’s military career
Throughout his military career, Asim has been affiliated with the Baloch Regiment. He was commissioned into the 12th Baloch Regiment in 1989, where he won the Sword of Honour for the 80th PMA Long Course. He has also served as an instructor at the National Defence University in Islamabad.
In October 2021, Malik was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General from Major General. At that time, the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Qamar Jawed Bajwa, appointed him as the Adjutant General (AG) at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
As AG, he headed the investigation into the May 9 riots and the court-martial proceedings of former Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, who faced corruption charges. On September 23, 2024, he succeeded Nadeem Anjum as the Director General of ISI. Reports indicate that Malik is a close associate of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir.
