अजीत डोभाल Ajit Doval

Life and career

  1. 1945 · Born in Garhwal. Born on 20 January 1945 in Ghiri Banelsyun in Pauri Garhwal. His father Major Gunanand Doval served 36 years in the Indian Army. He went to school in Ajmer. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · The Tribune: India’s longest-serving NSA turns 80 (January 2025))
  2. 1968 · Economist turned policeman. He took bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics at Agra University in 1967. A year later he cleared the civil services and joined the IPS in the Kerala cadre. His first posting was as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Kottayam. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · DT Next: Ajit Doval appointed NSA for a third time (13 June 2024))
  3. 1972 · Into the Intelligence Bureau. He joined the IB in 1972 as an operations officer. He led its Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau in Aizawl during the Mizo insurgency. He received the Police Medal in 1974. He later served in Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir. (The Tribune: India’s longest-serving NSA turns 80 (January 2025) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval)
  4. 1983 · The Pakistan years. He served at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad from 1983 to 1987. His official post was head of the commercial section. Accounts of undercover work in Pakistan rest on secondary sources. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · The Tribune: India’s longest-serving NSA turns 80 (January 2025))
  5. 1988 · Operation Black Thunder II. As a joint director in Punjab he reportedly entered the Golden Temple in disguise to gather intelligence on the militants inside. He became the first police officer to receive the Kirti Chakra for this work. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · The Tribune: India’s longest-serving NSA turns 80 (January 2025))
  6. 1999 · Kandahar. Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked on 24 December 1999 and flown to Kandahar. He was part of the negotiating team led by Vivek Katju. India freed three militants to end the crisis. They included Masood Azhar. (Wikipedia: Indian Airlines Flight 814 · Deccan Chronicle (15 January 2017))
  7. 2004 · Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Manmohan Singh’s government appointed him IB Director on 31 July 2004. He retired in January 2005. He had headed the IB’s operations wing for over a decade. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · The Tribune: India’s longest-serving NSA turns 80 (January 2025))
  8. 2009 · The Vivekananda International Foundation. He became founding director of the Vivekananda International Foundation in December 2009. He also sat on a BJP task force that reported on Indian black money abroad in 2009 and 2011. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · BJP Task Force: Indian Black Money Abroad, second report (2011))
  9. 2014 · National Security Adviser. Narendra Modi appointed him India’s fifth National Security Adviser on 30 May 2014. Weeks later 46 Indian nurses trapped in Tikrit flew home to Kochi on 5 July. Reports credit him with helping secure their return though the exact circumstances remain unclear. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · Al Jazeera (5 July 2014))
  10. 2016 · The surgical strikes. Indian forces struck launch pads across the Line of Control in September 2016. Accounts speculate the idea was his. He and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar were later shown unedited footage of the raids. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · Wikipedia: 2016 Indian Line of Control strike)
  11. 2017 · Doklam. Indian troops stopped a Chinese road crew at Doklam on 16 June 2017. He met China’s Yang Jiechi in Beijing at a BRICS security meeting that July. The standoff ended on 28 August after 75 days. He is credited with S. Jaishankar and Vijay Gokhale for the diplomacy. (Business Standard / IANS (28 August 2017) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval)
  12. 2019 · Balakot and Cabinet rank. He was reportedly among a handful of people told of the Balakot air strike in advance in February 2019. On 3 June 2019 he was reappointed with the personal rank of a Cabinet Minister. He was the first NSA to hold it. (Wikipedia: Ajit Doval)
  13. 2024 · Third term and the China talks. He began a record third term from 10 June 2024. In December he met Wang Yi in Beijing for the 23rd round of Special Representative talks. It was the first such meeting in five years. (DT Next: Ajit Doval appointed NSA for a third time (13 June 2024) · News on AIR (18 December 2024))
  14. 2025 · Operation Sindoor. After the Pahalgam attack India struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on 7 May 2025. He told counterparts including Marco Rubio the action was “measured, non-escalatory and restrained”. In August he hosted Wang Yi for the 24th round of boundary talks. (The Tribune / ANI (7 May 2025) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval · ThePrint (19 August 2025))
  15. 2026 · Speeches to the young. He addressed about 3,000 delegates at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in January. In April Rashtriya Raksha University gave him an honorary PhD. In August Amit Shah presented him the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune. In September he was chief guest at IIT Roorkee’s convocation. (Deccan Herald (10 January 2026) · ThePrint (14 April 2026) · Deccan Herald: Amit Shah hails NSA Ajit Doval (August 2026) · Drishti IAS: Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026 · The Week (19 September 2026))

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