ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has appointed Dr Moeed Yusuf as the National Security Adviser, an official said on Tuesday.

According to a May 17 notification issued by the cabinet division, Dr Yusuf would, in the capacity of NSA, enjoy the status of a federal minister.

He is the eighth person and the third civilian to hold this position since March 1969, when Maj Gen Ghulam Omar was appointed as the first NSA.

Dr Yusuf was previously serving as special assistant to the prime minister on national security and strategic policy planning. He held the SAPM’s position from Dec 24, 2019 till his elevation. His status was then equivalent to that of a minister of state.

Dr Yusuf for a brief period remained chairman of the Strategic Policy Planning Cell — a position that he held from Sept 26, 2019 to Dec 23, 2019. The cell was based in Prime Minister Office and had been tasked with providing input on issues that fell under the National Security Committee’s mandate.

Dr Yusuf has in the past remained associated with the United States Institute for Peace, where he held the position of associate vice president of the Asia Centre.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2021