Former IB chief Syed Asif Ibrahim named Afghanistan-Pakistan special envoy

Former Intelligence Bureau Chief Syed Asif Ibrahim, who retired in December last year, has been named as the Special Envoy to West Asia and Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) region.

Ibrahim, who will report to National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval, will be an important functionary to deal with the crisis in West Asia, especially with the rise of IS.

An IPS officer of 1977-batch, Ibrahim is the first official from his service to be appointed to this crucial position. In the UPA regime, the position was occupied by two former IFS officials — C R Gharekhan for West Asia and S K Lambah for Afghanistan-Pakistan.