ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assigned the additional portfolio of National Security Adviser (NSA) to Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Asim Malik, according to a notification issued by the federal government.
According to a notification, dated April 29, Lt Gen Asim Malik will now serve as the Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor in addition to his current role as DG ISI.
The appointment amid rising tensions between Pakistan and India, and conveys the message that the country’s civil and military leadership are aligned on key national security matters.
The appointment, effective immediately, comes less than 10 days after the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian occupied Kashmir that put Pakistan in India’s crosshairs and triggered a diplomatic firestorm.
Lt Gen Malik, who took over as ISI chief in Sept 2024, will advise PM Shehbaz Sharif on national security and foreign policy while steering Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus. The appointment on the NSA post vacant since April 2022, filled a strategic void, according to experts.
Pakistan’s denial of involvement in the Pahalgam attack and calls for a “neutral” transparent probe has done little to placate India as the latter continued with its war-mongering measures, posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the entire South Asia.
