Ajit Doval reappointed as National Security Advisor, given Cabinet rank
On Monday, the Government of India reappointed National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval to the post for five more years, and also gave him a Cabinet rank. Doval's upgrade from Minister of State (MoS) rank to the Cabinet is a first for an NSA. The decision for Doval's reappointment was made to recognize his contributions in the national security domain.
According to an order issued on Sunday by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) secretary PK Tripathi, Doval's extension of five years will be "co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier." Doval's reappointment came into effect on May 31. The order stated, Doval will be assigned the rank of "Cabinet Minister in the table of Precedence."
According to IANS, sources report that Doval and the newly-appointed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar would be at the diplomatic and strategic fronts of Narendra Modi's government. Both Doval and Jaishankar are known to have vast experience in South East and South Asian strategic affairs.
As NSA, Doval oversaw at least two cross-border anti-terror military actions during his previous tenure. The 2016 surgical strikes were conducted under Doval as a response to a terror attack on an Army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. On February 26 this year, Doval oversaw the retaliatory air strikes at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan, after the Pulwama terror attack.
A retired IPS officer of 1968 batch, Doval (74) is a former Intelligence Bureau chief. He retired in 2005. In 1988, he became the first police officer to receive Kirti Chakra. Reportedly, Doval also played a crucial role in the safe return of the 46 Indian nurses stuck at a hospital in Iraq. In 2014, he was appointed the fifth NSA.
