New Delhi, April 30: In the wake of last week's deadly terror strike in Pahalgam, the Central government has overhauled the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and appointed former RAW chief Alok Joshi as its new chairman.
The restructured seven-member board comprises retired officials from the armed forces, Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS), aiming to bolster India's security apparatus with experienced hands.
The panel includes: Air Marshal P.M. Sinha, former Western Air Commander, Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh, former Southern Army Commander, Rear Admiral Monty Khanna, retired senior naval officer, Rajiv Ranjan Verma, and Manmohan Singh, both former IPS officers, B. Venkatesh Varma, former diplomat and IFS officer
Alok Joshi, a 1976-batch IPS officer from the Haryana cadre and an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), brings decades of intelligence experience to the role. Hailing from Lucknow, Joshi served as Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau in 2005, later advancing to Special Secretary in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in 2010. He was appointed as RAW chief in 2012.
The appointment of Joshi is seen as a strategic move by the Centre, underscoring its firm response to the Pahalgam attack and reinforcing its commitment to national security. It also aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong stance against terrorism and vow to hold perpetrators accountable, particularly in the context of tensions with Pakistan.
With this team, the NSAB is poised to provide expert-level guidance on strategic and security-related matters amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
