Centre revamps National Security Advisory Board, former RAW chief Alok Joshi appointed chairman amid tension over Pahalgam attack

Alok Joshi will head the revamped seven-member board

The Centre on Wednesday has reconstituted the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), appointing former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Alok Joshi as its new chairman.

The NSAB is an advisory body that provides inputs to the National Security Council Secretariat.

Six more members, including retired servicemen from the armed forces and diplomacy, have been inducted into the board.

The new members include former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General AK Singh, and Rear Admiral Monty Khanna. Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh are the two retired members of the Indian Police Service. Retired IFS officer B Venkatesh Varma is also among those in the seven-member board.

The latest development comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national on April 22.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to track and punish the terrorists involved in the attack claimed 26 lives. The PM said they would be pursued to the "ends of the earth".

Pm Modi held a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) this morning, the details of which are not yet known. Two more meetings - of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) - were also held at the Prime Minister's official residence.

A cabinet briefing is also scheduled for Wednesday evening.

PM Modi said at a key security meeting on Tuesday that the armed forces have full operational freedom to determine the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Previously, the Modi government had conducted surgical strikes in Pakistan following the 2016 Uri attack on Indian army soldiers, and the Balakot airstrike after the Pulwama attack on CRPF personnel.