Anil Dhasmana, former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), has been designated as the National Technical Research Organization, India’s technical body responsible for geospatial intelligence and satellite imagery.
The Cabinet Appointments Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has authorized the appointment and the decision was formally transmitted to the retired officer of the Indian Police Service on Friday.
Dhasmana succeeds former Intelligence Bureau officer Satish Jha, who left office on Thursday.
Dhasmana, a 1981 Indian Police Service officer, is an expert on Pakistan and was the main planner for the Balakot airstrikes in February 2019 after Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 40 CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama car bomb attack.
Dhasmana had resigned a few months later when his extended term due to the general elections ended in June 2019.
The top police officer returns to the center of action 14 months later at a time when the NTRO is playing a crucial role, tracking the movements of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army near the many friction points along the Line of Royal Control who have seen a heavy deployment of soldiers. and support elements on both sides. The two countries have been talking to each other at the military and diplomatic level to resolve the standoff, but there are some signs that the standoff will continue for some time.
Dhasmana had joined R&AW, India’s external spy agency in 1993 from his father cadre, Madhya Pradesh, and had worked extensively with the agency’s Pakistan office.
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