ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has appointed the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Director General, Lt. Gen. Asim Malik, as the National Security Adviser, an official notification stated, amid fears of a military conflict breaking out between Pakistan and India.
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors surged after India blamed Pakistan for being involved in the Apr. 22 militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. India suspended a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan, suspended visas for its nationals and took a raft of other measures after blaming Islamabad for “cross-border terrorism.” Pakistan denied involvement, took tit-for-tat measures and warned India of a “strong” response if it carried out a military strike.
Malik was picked to head the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI), the country’s premium intelligence agency, in September last year.
The ISI is believed to have a hidden role in making many of the nuclear-armed nation’s policies, including those related to Afghanistan and India. The threat to Pakistan from neighboring India has been a main preoccupation of the ISI through the decades.
“Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik DG (I), shall hold the additional charge of the National Security Adviser, with immediate effect,” a notification by the Cabinet Division issued, read.
The army is arguably the most influential institution in Pakistan, with the military having ruled the country for about half of its 77-year history since independence from Britain and enjoying extensive powers even under civilian administrations.
Fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan were renewed on Wednesday after the latter’s state television reported that Pakistan’s army had destroyed several Indian posts after they resorted to “unprovoked” firing in the Kayani and Mandal sectors of the Line of Control (LoC).
The LoC runs 742km (460 miles) dividing the parts of Kashmir governed by India and Pakistan, and acts as part of the de facto border between the two countries. India and Pakistan both claim the disputed Himalayan Kashmir territory in full but administer only parts of it.
Earlier on Wednesday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported that a “timely” response by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had “forced” four Indian Rafale jets to retreat after payrolling near the two nations’ de facto border.
Read more: Indian Rafales Patrolling Over IoK Retreat After PAF Scrambles Jets: Media Reports
