LONDON, March 11: Professor Ziauddin Sardar, a Briton of Pakistani origin, and India’s Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen are among the 12 chosen by the UK to serve as members of a new top-level national security consultative body launched this week.

Appointed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the National Security Forum (NSF) has the powers to challenge government thinking on various modern day national security concerns such as counter-terrorism, organised crime, the security implications of the current global financial crisis and civil emergencies.

But the forum has not been given any executive powers.

According to the chairman of the forum, Lord West, its task will be to analyse issues ranging from basic security threats to cyber-terrorism, organised crime, climate change, energy competition and international economic trends.

Lord West is the parliamentary under-secretary of State at the British Home Office, with responsibility for security, a Security Adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Prior to his ministerial appointment he was First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy, from 2002 to 2006.
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