New Delhi, February 10: Retired IPS officer Ajit Lal is likely to be appointed as the Northeast Adviser to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), sources said, though an official notification is yet to be issued. If confirmed, Lal would succeed A.K. Mishra, whose tenure concluded last week.
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| Ajit Lal, Retired IPS officer |
Ajit Lal is a 1974-batch Himachal Pradesh cadre officer and a former Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau. He retired as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) at the National Security Council Secretariat in July 2014. Officials indicated that the government is expected to notify the appointment shortly.
Lal is familiar with the Northeast peace process, having been associated with the Naga talks in 2014. At the time, he was reportedly recommended by the newly elected BJP government as an interlocutor for the negotiations, but the role later went to R.N. Ravi, who is now the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
If appointed, Lal would take charge of the Centre’s sensitive political dialogue with Naga groups as well as negotiations with Kuki-Zo insurgent outfits operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. His predecessor, A.K. Mishra, a 1987-batch Rajasthan cadre IPS officer, was closely involved in the tripartite talks with Kuki-Zo groups and the ongoing Naga peace process.
The prospective change comes at a critical juncture, particularly in Manipur, where SoO groups have been pressing for a Union Territory with a separate legislature. The SoO pact was extended in September last year for a further five years.
Sources said Mishra informed participants at a February 4 meeting in New Delhi - attended by Kuki-Zo representatives and senior Manipur government officials - that his term had ended and that Lal was expected to take over the responsibilities, pending formal announcement.
