Major General Muhammad Saad Khattak (R)

Chairman PICSS Major General  Muhammad Saad Khattak (Retired) is a distinguished military officer, diplomat, and security expert with more than three decades of service in the Pakistan Army. He has served as Chairman of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) since 2017, succeeding the founding Chairman, Senator Akram Zaki (former Secretary General of Pakistan’s Foreign Office). He joined the institute as Director General in 2016 upon his retirement from active military service in November 2016.
During his career, General Khattak held key operational, intelligence, and counter-terrorism appointments. He commanded a division in Balochistan and served as Sector Commander of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Balochistan as a Brigadier. As a Major General, he headed intelligence and counter-terrorism setups under 11 Corps in Peshawar and under 10 Corps in Rawalpindi. He also served as Director General of the National Guards. His extensive experience in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) gave him deep operational insight into Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts and regional security dynamics.
From 2020 to 2023, he served as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, where he worked to strengthen bilateral ties. A graduate of the Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defence University Islamabad, the French Army Junior Staff Course, and the Defence Intelligence Directors Course (UK), he holds Master’s degrees in Political Science and War Studies, as well as an M.Phil in International Relations.
General Khattak is a frequent security commentator on national and international media and contributes articles to leading newspapers. He is the author of the autobiography From Dust to Pinnacle (and its Urdu edition Aam Admi), which has inspired many young people through its message of perseverance and hard work.
His expertise spans conflict and security studies, counter-terrorism, intelligence operations, and regional security dynamics, particularly in South Asia. He brings a rare combination of frontline military experience, diplomatic insight, and policy-oriented research to discussions on Pakistan’s security challenges and the broader region.