Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s close aide Moeed Yusuf, who is believed to have played a key role in recent back-channel contacts with India, has been formally appointed the country’s national security adviser.
Since December 2019, Yusuf had served as special assistant to the prime minister on national security and strategic policy planning.
“The Prime Minister has been pleased to approve that Dr Moeed W Yusuf, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning, shall function as National Security Adviser with the status of Federal Minister, with immediate effect,” the notification said.
Before being made chairman of Pakistan’s Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC), which comes under the National Security Division (NSD), Yusuf was associate vice president of the Asia Center at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
