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.
