Let’s take a closer look at the remarkable journey of Ajit Kumar Doval.
Ajit Kumar Doval was born in 1945 in Pauri Garhwal, He started his schooling adventure at Ajmer Military School in Rajasthan. After gaining a master’s degree in Economics in 1967, he later secured a doctorate from BAU in 2017. Joining the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1968, he worked in the Kerala cadre as the ASP of Kottayam district.
Now, Ajit Kumar Doval’s career took him to various places – North-East India and even seven years in Pakistan! He got hands-on in some tough situations, like Operation Blue Star in 1984. Fast forward to 1999, he was part of the team negotiating the release of passengers from IC-814 in Kandahar.
His career isn’t just about action, Ajit Kumar Doval played a part in intelligence operations, including the Sikkim merger with India in 1975. Learning the ropes under M.K. Narayanan, the third National Security Advisor of India, he eventually became the director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) until he called it a day in 2005.
Post-retirement chill? Not for Ajit Kumar Doval. In 2009, he became the founding director of the Vivekananda International Foundation, a think tank that’s all about public thought. He even co-wrote some reports on “Indian Black Money Abroad in Secret Bank and Tax Havens.”
Fast forward to May 30, 2014 – Ajit Kumar Doval’s appointed as India’s fifth National Security Advisor. 2014 was a year of heroism; he helped bring back Indian nurses trapped in Tikrit, Iraq. And if that’s not enough, he was the mastermind behind a cross-border military operation against the National Socialist Council of Nagaland in Myanmar.
Known for his brainy moves, Ajit Kumar Doval played a role in changing India’s national security policy, especially about Pakistan. People even think the 2016 Indian Strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir were his idea!
Diplomacy? Yep, he’s got that too. In 2017, he, along with others, resolved the Doklam standoff using diplomatic channels.
2018 brought new responsibilities – Ajit Kumar Doval became the chairman of the Strategic Policy Group (SPG) at the National Security Council. Fast forward to 2019, amidst all the buzz about Balakot airstrikes and the capture of Abhinandan Varthaman, Doval sat down with the US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to secure the pilot’s release.
Reappointed as NSA in 2019, Doval was given the personal rank of a Cabinet Minister, a first for an NSA. He was also a big player in the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. And let’s not forget his awards – Kirti Chakra in 1988 and the President’s Police Medal.
In a nutshell, Ajit Kumar Doval’s story is one of action, intelligence, diplomacy, and a touch of history-making. A real-life hero.
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