Through most of his 40 year illustrious career, Lt. Gen. Hasnain has served in turbulent environment and hot spots. From Sri Lanka to Siachen Glacier, from the North East to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), and in UN operations from Mozambique to Rwanda, he has seen it all in crucial appointments. He commanded the Indian Army’s Srinagar based 15 Corps.

He is a sought after speaker and writes for major Indian newspapers besides being a regular participant in television debates on mainstream television. With a strong academic background from Sherwood College Nainital, St Stephen’s College Delhi, the Royal College of Defence Studies,  Kings College London and the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, he has been at the forefront of encouraging the adoption of the US initiated Scholar Warrior concept in the Indian Army. He is associated with the Vivekanand International Foundation and Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, as Distinguished Fellow and is on the Governing Council of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (IPCS).

Since 2014, he has attended over 30 meetings of the Track-2 groups relating to Indo-Pak relations. He is a member of the India Afghanistan Foundation under aegis of Ministry of External Affairs and was also on the Committee for promotion of India-Indonesia relations. In 2018, he was appointed by the President of India as Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir. In addition, in February 2020, he has been nominated by the Prime Minister as Member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He has six decorations awarded by the President for India and two by the Army Chief.