New DG ISI to Play a Key Role to Navigate Complex Internal, Growing External Security Challenges: Syed Muhammad Ali

Tue Sep 24 2024
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ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik was appointed as Pakistan’s new spy chief, state-run media reported on Monday.  The new DG ISI is set to assume his new role on September 30, replacing the current DG.  He is currently serving as Adjutant General at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

With a distinguished military career, Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik has previously commanded an infantry division in Balochistan and an infantry brigade in Waziristan.

Known for his academic and leadership credentials, he was awarded the prestigious Sword of Honour during his military training, according to media reports.

He has also served as Chief Instructor at the National Defence University (NDU) and as an instructor at Command and Staff College in Quetta.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst and host of WE News program PERSPECTIVES told the Associated Press that the new DG will play a key role in how Islamabad navigates the complex internal and growing external national security challenges over the next years as Pakistan tries to “balance the U.S. financial goodwill” and “security cooperation against terrorism … while continuing to attract Chinese investments in face of economic challenges.

Responding to a question, Syed Muhammad Ali said that there are various major domestic challenges that the new chief would face which include “maintaining the currently cordial civil-military ties, managing the political turmoil caused by Imran Khan’s party, maintaining Chinese trust in Islamabad’s ability to protect China’s workers and investments in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) against terrorist attacks and hunt down both Baloch insurgents and Pakistani Taliban terrorists.”

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