ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday appointed a serving military intelligence officer, Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, as national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) for a three-year term.
The appointment places a serving officer from the country’s premier military intelligence agency at the helm of a civilian counter-terrorism body responsible for coordinating national efforts against terrorism and extremism.
According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division, the federal government approved Maj Gen Naseer’s appointment with immediate effect.
Maj Gen Naseer has been posted to NACTA on “secondment” – a temporary transfer from the armed forces to another government institution – under Section 9(1) of the NACTA Act, 2013.
The notification said he would serve on standard terms and conditions, with the appointment remaining effective until further orders.
Before his posting to NACTA, Maj Gen Naseer was serving as Director General (Counter-Intelligence) at Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), a position that underscores the significance of his transfer to an institution that has traditionally operated under civilian administrative leadership.
NACTA was initially established in 2008 as an administrative unit and was subsequently given statutory status through an Act of Parliament in 2013.
The authority has traditionally been headed by senior officers drawn from the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).
The latest appointment; therefore, represents a departure from that established pattern.
As national coordinator, Maj Gen Naseer will oversee NACTA’s efforts to coordinate counter-terrorism and counter-extremism measures among federal and provincial institutions.
The appointment comes at a time when the country is confronting renewed security challenges, making NACTA’s coordination role increasingly important – but also placing greater scrutiny on the institutional balance between civilian authorities and the security establishment in shaping national counter-terrorism policy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026