Pankaj Kumar Singh, a seasoned national security specialist, has been appointed as the Interlocutor for taking forward the Gorkha related talks.
New Delhi, October 16, 2025: In a significant move concerning Gorkha demands in the Darjeeling region, the Government of India has appointed former Deputy National Security Advisor Pankaj Kumar Singh (IPS Retd), as the interlocutor for talks with Gorkha representatives.
The announcement, made late Thursday by the Ministry of Home Affairs, signals New Delhi’s renewed commitment to addressing the aspirations of the people from Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars region.
Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Rajasthan cadre and a seasoned national security specialist, brings decades of experience in border security and high-stakes diplomacy to the role. Sources close to the development described Singh’s selection as “strategic,” citing his “unimpeachable track record in handling sensitive national security issues”.
Pankaj Kumar Singh (born December 19, 1962) rose through the ranks to become the 29th Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) from August 2021 until his retirement on December 31, 2022. Post-retirement, Singh was appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) in the National Security Council Secretariat in January 2023 for a two-year term. His expertise in ethnic conflicts, honed through earlier postings in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast, positions him ideally for the Gorkha brief.
“Singh’s calm demeanor and negotiation skills have de-escalated crises before; this is a masterstroke,” said a former Home Ministry official, speaking anonymously.
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