Govt restructures National Security Advisory Board, ex-RAW chief appointed as head

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Centre on Wednesday restructured the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), bringing in several former celebrated and distinguished officers from the Armed Forces, Intelligence Wing, as well as police services.

Former intelligence chief Alok Joshi has been appointed as the chairman of the restructured NSAB.

The move assumes significance as the government is recalibrating its strategy to step up pressure on Pakistan via diplomatic, economic, and military measures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made it loud and clear that India will track down and punish the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre and will hunt them till the ends of the earth.

Alok Joshi, in his previous stint as the chief of the Research and Analytical Wing (R&AW) – the country’s premier spy agency – will now lead the seven-member NSAB board, comprising retired officers from the armed forces, police service, and foreign service.

Other members of the Board include former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt Gen AK Singh, and others. Two retired officers from the Indian Police Service (IPS) – Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh – and B. Venkatesh Varma, a retired IFS officer, have also been inducted in the revamped NSAB.

The move to restructure the NSAB comes in light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding multiple high-level meetings with the Union Ministers at his official residence, including CCEA, CCS, as well as CCPA dubbed as ‘super cabinet’.

At the cabinet briefing, the government is expected to brief the nation about the next round of sanctions and actions being taken against the terror-sponsoring neighbour.

Notably, the NSAB’s role and responsibility will become crucial as India prepares to avenge the Pahalgam massacre and punish Pakistan for plotting and facilitating one of the deadliest terror strikes on tourists in the valley.

IANS