Is Pakistan’s military tightening its grip on power with a ‘soft coup’?

Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, serving Director General of Pakistan’ s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been appointed National Security Adviser — the first time both roles are held concurrently. He will report directly to Army Chief Gen Asim Munir, bypassing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marking a significant consolidation of military authority amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions following the Pahalgam attack

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