The Hindu : Front Page : Dixit, National Security Adviser

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 27, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Dixit, National Security Adviser

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI, MAY 26. The former Foreign Secretary, Jyotindra Nath Dixit, was today appointed National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister for a three-year term. A member of the Congress party's foreign affairs committee, he will enjoy the rank of Minister of State.

A 1958 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Mr. Dixit has been a high-profile diplomat and member of the first National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) from 1999-2000, and replaces Brajesh Mishra, who also served as Principal Secretary to the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr. Dixit, who takes charge tomorrow, will sit in the Prime Minister's Office even though, as his appointment shows, the jobs of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and National Security Adviser have now been separated.

As per the Vajpayee Government's decision of January 4, 2003, a two-layered Nuclear Command Authority was set up. The NCA has a Political Council headed by the Prime Minister and "is the sole body which can authorise the use of nuclear weapons."

Under the Political Council comes the Executive Council, which is chaired by the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, and "provides inputs for decision-making by the NCA and executes the directives given to it by the Political Council."

It is for the first time since India became a "declared" nuclear weapons' power that the Congress has returned to office. While in the Opposition, it had its views on national security issues and it remains to be seen how far these will now be implemented.

Mr. Dixit, who was Foreign Secretary from November 1991 to February 1994, served as India's Ambassador/High Commissioner to Pakistan (May 1989 to November 1991), High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (May 1985-May 1989), Ambassador to Afghanistan (January 1982-April 1985) and Joint Secretary, External Publicity, (1979-1982).

Mr. Dixit also opened India's first mission to Bangladesh in January 1972 and served as Minister in the Indian Embassy in Washington (1975-1978). A prolific writer and columnist, Mr. Dixit is the author of 12 books on foreign policy issues.

A vision document on defence and foreign policy released by the All-India Congress Committee in the run-up to the general elections said the Congress would "take necessary steps to fine-tune the higher command for India's nuclear and missile capacities."

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