Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik Appoints New DG ISI Pakistan Army
During his career, Malik has served as a top commander in the army’s corps and division levels, including commanding the 41 Infantry Division in Quetta and an infantry brigade in Waziristan. He has also held key positions at the army’s headquarters, including adjutant general.
He is known to be a strict disciplinarian, having dealt with dissensions in the military during turbulent times. In fact, he was reportedly offered the prestigious post of corps commander at IV Corps, Lahore when Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed was removed in disrepute (later court martialled) and again, at I Corps, Mangla when Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar was hastily retired. Both of those offers he turned down, however, hoping to end his army career at the same level as his father, Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik, who retired as X Corps, Rawalpindi.
Malik is a graduate of the prestigious Fort Leavenworth Staff College in the US and the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He also holds a PhD in International Relations and Politics from Pakistan’s National Defence University. His varied leadership roles in the training and operational arenas have established him as a seasoned military officer.
As Malik takes over the reins of the ISI, he will have to work hard to repair damaged relationships with the country’s political and civil leaders. He has already come under criticism from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who alleges that the military is attempting to control politics and rig elections in Pakistan. Several judges have also written to the Supreme Court chief justice claiming that the ISI is pressuring them to decide cases against Khan.
