Pakistan’s new Spymaster Premium

Pakistan's new ISI-DG Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik faces challenges of restoring military's image and managing foreign policy.

Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik took charge on Monday as the director general of Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Lt. Gen. Malik, who succeeded Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum, arrives centrestage at a critical moment for the Pakistani military, which is facing backlash at home from the supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan. Security threats from terror organisations are also on the rise, especially in the regions neighbouring Afghanistan.

The 59-year-old is currently a three-star general serving at the Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, said PTV News.

The son of former Lt.Gen. Ghulam Muhammad Malik, who known as ‘General GM’, Muhammad Asim Malik completed his Bachelors degree from the University of Balochistan. He then pursued his graduate studies from two top defence colleges in the U.S. and U.K. – Fort Leavenworth and the Royal College of Defence Studies respectively. Returning to his homeland, he then followed in his father’s footsteps and underwent training at the Pakistan Military Academy, receiving the ‘Sword of Honour’ for achieving the best performance during his training at the Academy.

Lt. Gen Malik’s military career includes serving in the Balochistan infantry division and commanding the infantry brigade in Wazirstan. He has also trained cadets at the Command and Staff College, Quetta and served as chief instructor at the National Defence University (NDU) in Islamabad, where he obtained a doctorate in US-Pakistan relations, making him the first ISI-DG to hold a doctorate. In October 2021, when his predecessor Lt.Gen. Nadeem was elevated as ISI chief, Major Gen. Malik was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed as the Army’s adjutant general.

As the ISI chief officially reports to the Prime Minister’s office (PMO), Lt.Gen. Malik’s appointment was immediately confirmed by Mr. Shehbaz Sharif in consultation with the military on Monday — a sign of the current cordial relations between the civilian administration and the military establishment which has shaped Pakistani polity since Independence.

It is the military which has the final say in appointing the ISI-DG, as the official procedure is neither mentioned in the nation’s Constitution nor the Pakistan Army Act, states Pakistani daily Dawn. The ISI was created by an executive order and the powers to appoint the ISI-DG have been vested in the Prime Minister. As per convention, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) proposes three names to the PM and a candidate is picked by consensus.

This tradition was interrupted during Lt.Gen. Anjum’s appointment which came after a three-week standoff between Mr. Khan and the military, as he preferred to extend then ISI-DG Faiz Hameed’s tenure. Despite the Army’s announcement on October 6, 2021, appointing Lt. Gen. Anjum as the new ISI-DG and transferring Lt.Gen. Faiz Hameed to the role of Peshawar corps commander, the PMO did not issue an official notification of Mr. Anjum’s appointment, publicising the growing feud between Mr. Khan and the Army.