Who is Pakistan’s new spy chief Asim Malik?

A decorated officer, Malik takes charge of an agency that’s often caught in controversy but is central to the functioning of the armed forces.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s military has announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Asim Malik as the new head of the country’s premier intelligence agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Malik will assume his role on September 30.

Before this appointment, he served as the adjutant general (AG) at the army’s general headquarters, overseeing military administrative affairs, including legal and disciplinary matters, for the past three years.

The ISI chief is often seen as the second-most powerful person in the military after the Chief of Army Staff — in a country where the military is the most powerful institution.

The outgoing ISI chief, General Nadeem Anjum, took office in November 2021 under then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. His tenure, extended by a year in September 2022, coincided with significant political upheaval, including Khan’s ouster through a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022 – a move Khan attributed to military interference, a charge that the military has consistently rejected.

Malik, a highly decorated officer who enjoys goodwill within Pakistan’s close-knit military community, has not been immune from that tumult either.

Malik, 59, has no direct experience in intelligence-related postings but has commanded infantry divisions in Balochistan and an infantry brigade in South Waziristan, areas that have been hotbeds of violence for nearly two decades.

He has also served as an instructor at Pakistan’s National Defence University and the Command and Staff College in Quetta.

A top-performing cadet during his training, Malik