Islamabad: Pakistan has appointed the current Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, as the country’s new National Security Adviser (NSA), marking the first time a serving spy chief will simultaneously hold both powerful positions.
The appointment was confirmed in an official notification released on Tuesday, stating that Lt Gen Malik would assume the additional role of NSA with immediate effect.
“Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik HI (M), DG (I), shall hold the additional charge of National Security Adviser, effective immediately,” the statement read.
This high-level posting comes amid escalating tensions with India following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
Malik’s dual appointment signals Islamabad’s intent to tighten its strategic and intelligence apparatus during a volatile regional moment.
Lt Gen Malik became the head of the ISI in October 2024. A decorated officer, he previously led key military formations including an infantry division in Balochistan and a brigade in Waziristan—both areas with a history of insurgency.
His academic credentials include training at the U.S. Army’s Fort Leavenworth and the UK’s Royal College of Defence Studies.
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He has also served as Chief Instructor at Pakistan’s National Defence University and taught at the Command and Staff College in Quetta.
Malik is the tenth person to be appointed as NSA in Pakistan’s history. The position had remained vacant for over two years following the ouster of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in April 2022.
The last NSA, Dr Moeed Yusuf, stepped down at that time.
