Who Is Lt Gen Asim Malik? Pakistan’s ISI Chief Appointed As New NSA Amid Escalating Tensions With India After Pahalgam Terror Attack

Islamabad: Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik has also been appointed as the country's National Security Adviser (NSA). The development came amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack. Lt Gen Malik took the additional charge with immediate effect.

The Pakistani government also issued a formal notification regarding the ISI chief's appointment as NSA. In September last year, he was appointed as the head of the ISI.

Who Is Lt Gen Asim Malik?

Lt Gen Asim Malik is a Pakistani three-star general and the current Director-General of the ISI. He is reported to be the first PhD holder to be appointed Director-General of the ISI. Gen Malik was born to Lt. Gen. (R.) Ghulam Muhammad Malik into a Punjabi Awan family.

He was a graduate of the Pakistan Military Academy's 80th Long Course and was the recipient of the Sword of Honour. Malik was commissioned in the 12th Baloch Regiment in 1989.

He served as the Chief Instructor at the National Defence University in Islamabad and as an instructor at the Pakistan Command and Staff College in Quetta. In October 2021, during his tenure as a Major General, Malik was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General and was appointed to the position of Adjutant General (AG) at GHQ, Rawalpindi. He reported to have initiated and overseen the court martial proceedings of former Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed.

Pahalgam Attack:

On April 22, five to six terrorists opened fire at tourists at Baisaran meadows near Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, resulting in the death of 26 people, including a local pony guide. Initially, Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT's) offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the attack. However, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the attack, the TRF denied its role.

Following the attack, India announced a series of diplomatic sanctions against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960. India also blocked several Pakistani YouTube Channels.

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