Pankaj Saran appointed Deputy National Security Advisor

The current ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran on Tuesday was appointed deputy National Security Advisor for a period of two years.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Saran's appointment as the deputy NSA for a period of two years, on deputation basis initially till the date of his superannuation, i.e., November 30, 2018, then on re-employment on contract basis, an order issued by Personnel Ministry said.

The 1982 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) was in November 2015 appointed as the India's envoy to Russia.

He had held various positions in India and abroad including the country's High Commissioner to Bangladesh. He also served as the joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office between 2007 and 2012.

Former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Ajit Doval is the National Security Adviser.