ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has appointed the chief of its premium intelligence agency, Lt. Gen. Asim Malik, as the National Security Adviser, an official notification said this week amid fears of a military conflict breaking out between Pakistan and India.
Tensions between the 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 on Apr. 29, 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.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to de-escalate Islamabad’s tensions with New Delhi and avoid a military confrontation with India. Several countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye and the UK have done the same recently.
Pakistan appoints intelligence chief as National Security Adviser amid tensions with India
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Pakistan appoints intelligence chief as National Security Adviser amid tensions with India
- Lt. Gen. Asim Malik was picked to head Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency in September last year
- ISI is believed to have a hidden role in making many of country’s policies, especially those related to India
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
