ISI Chief Asim Malik Becomes Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Amid India Tensions

Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik, Pakistan’s current Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has now been appointed as the country’s National Security Adviser (NSA), consolidating his position as one of the most powerful figures in Pakistan’s security establishment. Malik, who took over as ISI chief in September 2024, becomes the first serving ISI head to simultaneously hold the NSA role-a move seen as reinforcing the military’s dominance over national security and foreign policy decisions. This unprecedented dual appointment comes amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack, with Malik now at the nerve center of both intelligence operations and strategic policy advice to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Known for his academic credentials-he is the first PhD holder to lead the ISI-and decorated military career, Malik has managed intelligence operations from the Line of Control to Afghanistan.