India has named special advisor to the prime minister's office, M.K. Narayanan, as acting national security advisor, replacing J.N. Dixit who died Monday of a heart attack.
A government statement says "Mr. Narayanan will discharge the assignment in addition to his existing duties until further orders."
Mr. Narayanan is a former head of the Indian Intelligence Bureau and has been an advisor to various prime ministers. He is regarded as one of the country's leading security experts.
Mr. Dixit was India's prime figure in pushing forward the peace dialogue with nuclear rival Pakistan, as well as in negotiations with China on settling decades-old border disputes. Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.