The government has appointed Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, the current head of the country’s top intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as the new National Security Adviser (NSA).
Gen Malik, who has been serving as the Director General of ISI since September 2024, becomes the country’s tenth person to hold the NSA position. A notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday confirmed his appointment, which also includes retaining his current role as DG ISI.
“Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik HI(M), DG (I), shall hold the additional charge of National Security Adviser, with immediate effect,” the notification stated. This marks the unprecedented move of a serving ISI chief also holding the position of NSA.
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His appointment comes at a time of increased tensions with India, following the recent attack in Pahalgam.
The NSA position had been vacant since April 2022, when the PTI government was ousted, and former Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a vote of confidence. At that time, Moeed Yusuf was serving as the NSA.
The NSA holds the rank of a federal minister and acts as the primary advisor to the Prime Minister on national security, foreign policy, and strategic matters. The advisor also heads the National Security Division, which is based in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad.
