NSA heads for Munich to attend security meet

As far as back-channel diplomacy went with Pakistan and China — which Dixit was looking after — special envoys appointed would be in charge. Even names had been identified. This too seems to be in a state of limbo.

“As acting NSA, Narayanan had been diffident about attending some meetings and was not present when, for instance, the Japanese delegation was here. But now, it is becoming clear he will be looking after all aspects of national security — ever since the coup in Kathmandu, Narayanan has reportedly been an integral part of decision-making on Nepal just as in the case of the Goa crisis.

A little known fact about Narayanan is that he had been offered the job of the NSA before it was given to Dixit. At the time he had turned it down because of personal reasons.

There is also no ambivalence now about who looks after the ‘‘nuclear command’’, again something that was being handled by Dixit. There should have been no ambiguity about that in the first place, for there is an order of the last government which made it quite clear that the NSA would be a key figure in the chain between the PM and the strategic forces command.

After Dixit’s death, there was an opinion inside the Government that the post of the NSA should be abolished and those who made this argument included Natwar Singh and Shivraj Patil. But both the PM and Sonia Gandhi were reportedly for retaining the post.