Who’s Parag Jain, upcoming RAW chief and the mind behind Operation Sindoor?

The federal government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (June 28) appointed Parag Jain, a 1989-batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre, as the subsequent Secretary of the Analysis and Evaluation Wing (RAW). He’ll lead India’s premier intelligence company for subsequent two years beginning July 1, succeeding incumbent chief Ravi Sinha.

Famend in intelligence circles as a ‘tremendous sleuth,’ Jain assumes the highest function with a popularity for skillfully integrating human intelligence (HUMINT) with technical intelligence (TECHINT), a mix officers credit score for the success of quite a few high-stakes operations.

Performed key function in Op Sindoor

Amongst his most notable latest achievements was his management in
Operation Sindoor
, the place his intelligence inputs facilitated exact missile strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Whereas the preliminary missile hits might have taken couple of minutes, the intelligence-based groundwork took years to piece collectively important info.

Parag Jain’s intensive subject expertise in Jammu and Kashmir, certainly one of India’s most advanced safety areas, is predicted to bolster his management as India navigates a risky international safety panorama.

Expertise

Senior officers describe Jain as methodical and discreet, with a profession marked by key roles.

On January 1, 2021, he was promoted to Director Basic of Police (DGP) in Punjab, although serving on central deputation, he obtained solely notional advantages.

Jain performed a major operational function throughout Punjab’s terrorism interval, serving in Bhatinda, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, as SSP Chandigarh, and DIG Ludhiana.

He additionally dealt with Pakistan-related operations for India’s exterior intelligence company, with tenures in Jammu and Kashmir throughout the abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Balakote. A low-profile officer, Jain represented India in Canada and Sri Lanka.

Whereas posted in Canada, he actively countered the Khalistan ecosystem, repeatedly warning Delhi of its rising menace.

Challenges

As Parag Jain succeeds Ravi Sinha on Monday, India’s exterior intelligence company faces requires a revamp, having been criticised for its dealing with of the Maldives and Bangladesh crises over the previous two years.

The shortcoming to foresee the brutal assault in Pahalgam on April 22 additional raised important considerations, particularly given the Pakistan Military chief’s inflammatory anti-Hindu rhetoric and his assertion that Kashmir is Pakistan’s “jugular vein.”

With Asim Munir’s elevation to Discipline Marshal and his prioritisation of cross-border terrorism in opposition to India, the function of RAW turns into important in countering these heightened threats.