The two Asims in Pakistan waging war against India

Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and ISI's Asim Malik (File photos)

‘Ye jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche vardi hai’ – This has been the war cry of protesters in Pakistan time and again.

With the Pakistan Army at the heart of every protest, the situation remains grim for the country that survives on financial aid and has failed to inculcate democracy as a core value.

While Pakistan has institutions such as the Prime Minister, Cabinet, parliamentary elections, and National Assembly, the crude reality remains that there is only one power centre – the Pakistan Army.

The only possible second in this case is the Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s premier intelligence agency.

Since Operation Sindoor, the environment in Pakistan has made Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a rubber stamp in terms of authority and power.

While he addressed the National Assembly and the nation in the wake of the military standoff with India, there has been a clear understanding that all the decisions were taken from Rawalpindi instead of Islamabad.

With Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir promoting himself as Field Marshal, Sharif has been largely away from media glare. His two trips to the US and very vocal anti-India stance make Munir the de facto ruler of Pakistan. Many experts also say that it is a matter of when, instead of if, Munir will declare himself President.

But crossing over to the civil side may not suit the Field Marshal. When donning the uniform, he has clear authority over the troops. And for anything else, Munir has ISI boss Asim Malik, who has been recently named as the country’s National Security Advisor.

Malik is the first serving ISI chief to be appointed as the NSA. He is the first official who will be serving two positions concurrently. Lt Gen Malik was appointed as the ISI chief back in 2024.

A career army man with extensive experience spanning the past two decades, Malik doesn’t have any intel-related experience. Previously, he had commanded infantry divisions in restive Balochistan as well as an infantry brigade in South Waziristan. He has also worked as an instructor at Pakistan’s National Defence University as well as Quetta’s Command and Staff College.

Many in Pakistan feel that he is very close to Munir. Shortly after his appointment in October last year, a senior army official told Al Jazeera that in usual circumstances, Malik would have been given command of a corps. “But with less than 20 months until his retirement, that’s unlikely. His appointment to the ISI underscores the strong confidence Munir has in him.”

While Munir's nuclear saber-rattling is very public, ISI is also working covertly for its anti-India policy. Recently, Bangladesh opened up to granting visas to Pakistani diplomats. This paves way for ISI to use Dhaka as a launchpad for its anti-India activities.