| Aasar Khan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | Aasar Khan |
| Status: | Alive |
| Nationality: |  Pakistani
|
| Profession: | Counter-terrorism chief of Pakistan's ISI |
| Played by: | Raza Jaffrey |
| Season: | 4 |
| Episodes: | 7 Appearances |
| First episode: | "Iron in the Fire" |
| Last episode: | "Krieg Nicht Lieb" |
"I believe you" - Carrie from Assar
Colonel Aasar Khan is a colonel in the ISI, loyal to his country but largely kept out of the loop in the Pakistani government's dealings with the Taliban.
Biography[]
He provides shelter for Carrie as she recovers from a severe psychotic episode induced by the ISI having her bipolar medication swapped for a powerful hallucinogen. Khan later learns from ISI agent Tasneem Qureishi that the poisoning was engineered to get Carrie transferred out of Islamabad, but that his intervention foiled their plans. Khan continues to help Carrie afterwards, providing her the name of Dennis Boyd as the ISI's mole inside the U.S. embassy. During the Taliban's attack on the embassy, Carrie calls Khan to send in backup, but Tasneem stops him, revealing to him her allegiance with the Taliban. Khan later stops Carrie from assassinating Haqqani, alerting to her to Dar Adal's presence in Haqqani's entourage.
Personal Life and Relationships[]
He is a Lieutenant Colonel for the Pakistan's ISI who forms a puzzling alliance with Carrie, though it's never really clear exactly what side he's on.
In Season 4, the ISI launch an elaborate attack on Carrie: they switch out her bipolar medication for hallucinogens. This leads to a tear through the streets of Pakistan, where Carrie is eventually detained by police — again, all a part of the ISI plan. Her bad trip ends with a meltdown in the arms of Khan, who she believes to be Brody because, well, she's still tripping.
This story arc was espionage at its homeland. I think it's pretty clear that Khan was on Carrie's side, hated Haqqani and was at least OK with the US but he eventually just followed orders from his own government when he had to. But how do you know he's good?
1) He rescued Carrie when she got in trouble and spoiled Tasneem's operation.
2) He tried to call for help for the embassy before Tasneem stopped him.
3) When he pulled Carrie down from killing Haqqani he let her go back to the US. He followed orders but clearly meant well and you know Tasneem would have wanted him to turn her in.
Her point was that Carrie remembers ("I remember about last night") that he didn’t take advantage of her when she was in that compromised state.
In Season 4, mind as Carrie was trying to enlist his help in locating Quinn safely. The "Chief of Support" line was classic and you could feel Carrie's intensity and desperation about finding Quinn. Khan knew he was an assassin.
I think in the moment Khan was weighing how much he could trust Carrie, who’s obviously in a very vulnerable state. His job was on the line the same way the lives of Carrie’s own team were. And I think he needed to weigh whether to stick his neck out for her–someone he clearly had personal feelings for, even if not romantic/sexual–or look out for himself.
An enemy to one is a friend to another. Khan could have been described as an ally to Carrie in the past episodes, going against the ISI, against his people to tell Carrie who the mole was. He seemed to have a different understanding of what was right or wrong, what was worthy, or not. He’d proved himself worthy of Carrie’s trust, and had Tasleem not been in the car with him, he probably would have continued to, ordering for back-up when Carrie called, in need of help.
Mistake[]
Factual error: The Pakistan Army uses British-style rank insignia with the crown replaced with The Star and crescent of Pakistan. The ISI officers are all wearing another badge instead of The Star and crescent. They are also wearing black gorget (collar) patches, whereas they should be wearing scarlet. Lt Col Khan and a number of other more junior officers should not be wearing gorget patches at all, as they are restricted to full colonels and above. ISI officers do not have a separate uniform; they wear ordinary military uniform if they are entitled to it.
Behind The Scenes[]
Appearances[]
| Season 4 | ||||
| "The Drone Queen" | "Trylon and Perisphere" | "Shalwar Kameez" | Iron in the Fire | About a Boy |
| "From A. to B. and Back Again" | Redux | Halfway to a Donut | There's Something Else Going On | 13 Hours in Islamabad |
| Krieg Nicht Lieb | "Long Time Coming" | |||