The government has reconstituted the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), appointing former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Alok Joshi as its new chairman.
The revamped seven-member board includes several distinguished former officers from the armed forces and civil services. These include former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt General AK Singh, and Rear Admiral Monty Khanna from the military services.
Representing the Indian Police Service are Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh, both retired IPS officers. Former Indian Foreign Service officer B Venkatesh Varma has been included in the board.
The NSAB comprises a group of eminent national security experts outside the government. Members are usually senior retired officials, civilian as well as military, academicias and distinguished members of civil society drawn from and having expertise in internal and external security, foreign affairs, defence, science and technology and economic affairs.
The Union government’s decision comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including one Nepalese national, and injured many.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence concluded on Wednesday afternoon, news agency ANI reported.
Along with the CCS meeting, two additional committee meetings – the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) – were convened at the Prime Minister’s residence. A cabinet briefing is scheduled for 3pm.
The second CCS meeting discussed security preparedness since the Pahalgam attack.
The CCS last met on April 23 and was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed.
In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in the Union Territory and its steady progress towards economic growth and development.
The government then announced a series of measures, including holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, in a strong message to Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.
Earlier on Tuesday, Modi chaired a meeting attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs.
Sources said Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian armed forces. He said the armed forces have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response.
