Lt Gen Asim Malik named new DG ISI

Incoming spy chief to take charge on Sept 30

ISLAMABAD:

Lt General Asim Malik has been appointed as new Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the government announced through state-run Pakistan Television here on Monday.

The new spy chief will take charge of his new role on September 30.

It is interesting to note that this marks a shift from the usual practice, where DG ISI's appointment is typically announced by the Prime Minister's Office or the military's media wing.

Last time the appointment of the DG ISI became a full-blown civil-military crisis as then prime minister Imran Khan claimed he was not consulted before the ISPR named the new spy chief.

Imran had insisted that it was his prerogative to appoint the new ISI chief.

Eventually, a middle ground was found where the nominee of the chief of army staff Gen Qamar Bajwa was appointed the ISI chief but the prime minister interviewed three candidates for the coveted job.

Imran had resisted the change of guard at the ISI as he felt at the time incumbent Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed must continue in his role because of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. But Gen Bajwa was adamant that retaining Lt-Gen Faiz at the ISI would disturb the entire transfer postings system within the army.

The civil military relations were dealt a fatal blow in the wake of the tussle over the appointment of the ISI chief.

But contrary to the drama three years ago, the replacement of Lt-Gen Nadeem has been smooth. The government chose to relay the announcement via PTV, putting at rest weeks of speculations about the appointment of the new ISI boss.

Lt-Gen Asim will replace Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum, who served as head of the ISI for almost three years. He was appointed the DG ISI in November 2021 and was given a year's extension in November 2023.

The incoming spymaster is currently serving as the adjutant general (AG) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. As the AG, whose main role in the army is to ensure discipline, he must have overseen the ongoing court martial proceedings against Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed.

Gen Faiz is currently facing military trial over charges of corruption and violating the army's discipline post-retirement.

The new DG ISI is a recipient of sword of honour in his course. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in October 2021 by then army chief Gen Bajwa and had since been serving at the GHQ.

This means he would not be part of the potential generals to be considered for the post of Army Chief in November 2025 provided the incumbent was not granted an extension.

During the course of his military career, Gen Malik has served in the Balochistan infantry division and commanded the infantry brigade in Waziristan, according to PTV News. He has also served as the chief instructor at the National Defence University in Islamabad and as an instructor at the Command and Staff College, Quetta.

He is a graduate of Fort Leavenworth in the United States and Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

The post of the ISI chief is crucial in the context of Pakistan's internal and external challenges. The DG ISI often remains in the limelight due to allegations of the agency's involvement in domestic politics.

The DG ISI theoretically reports to the prime minister but since he comes from the army so in reality the army chief holds more sway over him.