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| Tuesday, 04 January 2005 |
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India's National Security Advisor Jyotindra Nath Dixit (68), a former Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, passed away yesterday after a heart attack. Dixit was a key figure in the Congress-led coalition government that came back into power in May 2004. He was appointed National Security Advisor the same month.
Dixit enjoyed an illustrious diplomatic career and served in a host of countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He retired from the diplomatic service as foreign secretary 10 years ago. The pipe-smoking former diplomat authored the best-selling book Assignment Colombo based on his experiences at the height of the ethnic conflict, as the High Commissioner to Colombo. He played a prominent role in the crisis, engaging in shuttle diplomacy between Colombo and New Delhi preparing the groundwork for the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord. The book was later translated to Sinhala. He was also actively involved in the peace dialogues with Pakistan and India. Pakistan offered its "deep condolences". A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement described Dixit as a respected professional with a "profound understanding of South Asia". Dixit is considered the architect of India's post-Cold War foreign policy. The dialogue process with China was at a historical juncture and poised for a breakthrough at the time of his death. In July last year, Dixit and Chinese Executive Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo led the talks to demarcate the 3,500-km border, an issue that has lingered for more than four decades. Ties between India and China - the world's two most populous nations, have been warming in recent years. "Given his position in the hierarchy, and the fact that he was handling both the India-Pakistan and India-China talks, his death will certainly have an impact on the momentum of dialogue," said Uday Bhaskar, director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. |
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