Caught In The Crossfire

Brigadier Naseem’s association with the Pakistan Army and it’s premier intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), spreads over four decades (1969-2010). Besides full-time regimental soldiering in an elite Self-Propelled Artillery regiment of Pakistan army, he served with ISI for more than two decades. His career in the army and intelligence grew side by side all along these years, giving him ample opportunities to experience the best in both the fields during peace as well as in combat operations.

Brigadier Naseem’s career in the field of Security and intelligence started as a field intelligence operative assigned to highly sensitive roles in the organisation and gradually grew in rank and appointments to shoulder higher responsibilities at national and international levels. Incidentally, his multiple tenures in ISI coincided with some extraordinary security related developments in the region, with far-reaching fallouts on Pakistan’s national security hypothesis. Most significant amongst these major events, have been the Russian invasion of Afghanistan (1979 – 1989), the Afghan civil war (1990 – 2001) and subsequently, the incident of 9/11 which completely altered the international security patterns, particularly in South Asia. It is important to note that these developments in Afghanistan had direct bearing on Pakistan’s national security, and therefore, had dragged its complete security apparatus, in this theatre of war. Handling of unending security issues with India has been amongst his routine areas of responsibilities.