New Delhi: The Centre has appointed 1989-batch IPS officer Parag Jain as the new secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). He will take over from Ravi Sinha, whose tenure ends on June 30.
Jain, from the Punjab cadre, will head India’s premier agency that is in charge of external intelligence, for two years. He is not new to the organisation. He has been heading the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) – R&AW’s air wing – till now.
His appointment comes at a crucial time when India-Pakistan relations are at an all time low following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. India has also set a ‘New Normal’ and declared that cross-border terrorism will be treated as an Act of War.
At the same time, the Indus Waters Treaty has been suspended and Union home minister Amit Shah has said that India will never restore it. Pakistan is clearly worried and some of its leaders have even warned of War if India sticks to the stand. India, on the other hand, has made it clear that any talks with Pakistan will only be on terrorism and the return of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
All is not well across India’s eastern border either, with Bangladesh passing through a major crisis after the 2024 coup in which Sk Hasina was ousted. Since then, Bangladesh and the head of its interim government Muhammad Yunus have reached out to China and Pakistan.
Insiders say that Jain is a ‘super sleuth’ who has played a crucial role in counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jain has previously served in key positions in the Punjab Police. He has also worked in Canada and Sri Lanka as part of India’s diplomatic missions to those countries.
