Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik has been given additional charge of country’s National Security Adviser (NSA) amid rising diplomatic tensions with India over Pahalgam terror attack.
Lt General Malik was given the NSA position as an additional charge and the formal notification regarding his appointment has also been issued, according to the media reports.
According to the Pakistan government sources, Malik’s dual role as ISI chief and NSA consolidates his authority over Pakistan’s security policies, blending intelligence coordination with strategic decision-making.
He was appointed as the head of Pakistan’s intelligence agency in September 2024.
The new decision comes as Islamabad fears a “military action by India" following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, caused by Pakistan-based and Pakistan-trained terrorists. Pakistan is also facing internal security challenges, and evolving dynamics in Afghanistan. It is seen as a move to provide support to Pakistan’s security apparatus.
According to Islamabad, Malik has been appointed to streamline counterterrorism efforts and addressing cross-border militancy, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As the tension between India and Pakistan appears to be heading towards a war, Malik will face a major challenge ahead.
Reportedly, Pakistan is the only country where a serving Lieutenant General and a junior to army chief would serve as the NSA.
Fearing the retaliation, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday claimed that India would attack Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours, citing “credible intelligence".
In a statement posted on X, Tarar had cautioned that any act of aggression would be met with a decisive response and hold India accountable for any serious consequences in the region.
In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Terrorists targeted a group of people, including women and elderly individuals, in the brazen attack afternoon.
After the attack, the diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan downgraded with New Delhi announcing several punitive measures, including suspension of Indus Water Treaty, cutting Islamabad Mission strength, closing its airspace for Pakistani airlines and expulsion of its military attaches. In response, Pakistan undertook tit-for-tat measures and suspended the Shimla Agreement.
source: News18