| Honorific-Prefix: | Lieutenant General |
| Honorific-Suffix: | HI(M) |
| Asim Malik | |
| Native Name: | عاصم ملک |
| Office1: | 31st Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence |
| Term Start1: | 30 September 2024 |
| President1: | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Primeminister1: | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Predecessor1: | Lt. General Nadeem Anjum |
| Office2: | Adjutant General GHQ (Pakistan) |
| Term Start2: | 6 October 2021 |
| Term End2: | 29 September 2024 |
| Alma Mater: | University of Balochistan Fort Leavenworth Royal College of Defence Studies National Defence University Pakistan Military Academy |
| Unit: | 12 Baloch Regiment |
| Rank: | Lieutenant General |
| Battles: | |
| Birth Place: | Shahpur Tehsil, Sargodha District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Parents: | Lt. Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik (father) |
| Awards: | Sword of Honour (Pakistan) |
| Commands: | Adjutant general GHQ 41 Infantry Division National Defence University (Chief instructor) |
Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik, is a Pakistani three-star general and the current Director-General of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), a position he has held since 30 September 2024.[1] [2] He is the first PhD holder to be appointed Director-General of the ISI.
Malik was born to Lt. Gen. (R.) Ghulam Muhammad Malik into a Punjabi Awan family with their ancestral roots in Shahpur, a city located in the Sargodha District of the Punjab province.[3]
Malik earned his BSc (Hons) from the University of Balochistan in 1999[4] and then studied at Fort Leavenworth in the United States, where he has written thesis on Mountain Warfare titled as the Mountain Warfare: The Need for Specialist Training. Malik also attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. Additionally, Malik obtained the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) on the US-Pakistan relations from the National Defence University.[5] He was a graduate of the Pakistan Military Academy's 80th Long Course and was the recipient of the Sword of Honour during his course.
Malik served as the Chief Instructor at the National Defence University in Islamabad and as an instructor at the Pakistan Command and Staff College in Quetta.[6]
Throughout his military career, he has been part of the Baloch Regiment. As a major general, he led the 41st Infantry Division in Balochistan and commanded an Infantry Brigade in Waziristan. He has also worked in the Military Operations Directorate.[7]
In October 2021, during his tenure as a Major General, Malik was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General and was appointed to the position of Adjutant General (AG) at GHQ, Rawalpindi by then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa.[8]
In his role as AG of the Pakistan Army, Lt. Gen. Malik handled the investigation into the May 9 riots and was believed to have initiated and overseen the court martial proceedings of former Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, who faced military trial on charges of corruption and breaches of military discipline following his retirement.[9]
On 23 September 2024, Malik was appointed to succeed Nadeem Anjum as the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI), with his term beginning on 30 September 2024.[10] The announcement was made by the Pakistan Television Corporation, a departure from previous practice, where such appointments were typically announced by the Prime Minister's Office or Inter-Services Public Relations. Although Malik has limited experience in intelligence-specific roles,[11] his appointment comes at a time of political instability, rising militancy, and heightened public attention on the ISI.
Sources within military circles indicated that Malik shares a strong connection with COAS Asim Munir, who views him as a trusted confidant.