New Delhi, Dec. 29 :     Some of his friends in the foreign service prefer to call him a hardliner ?not for anything else but because he acts tough, bargains tough and preaches a tough line of action. But the thick moustache above a not-so-firm chin does not really make him such a tough man. In reality, Vivek Katju, the joint secretary handling the crucial IPA (Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan) desk and now heading the team of negotiators in cold Kandahar, is a pleasant, soft-spoken man who spends a lot of time in small talk with friends at diplomatic parties. Katju?s career has been on an upward swing for sometime. His role as joint secretary of the IPA desk during the Kargil conflict won him kudos. It was during this period that the Kashmiri Pundit, who has a postgraduate degree in history, came in close contact with foreign minister Jaswant Singh. Katju was so heavily relied upon that he even played a formidable role in conducting back-channel diplomacy with Pakistan during the Kargil conflict. Asked to brief the media, it was obvious that he was also playing a major role in policy formulation. What also made this 1975 batch foreign service official the obvious choice to lead the negotiating team is his knowledge of Arabic and his ability to converse in Pushtu, the language commoners use in Kandahar. Married with three daughters, Katju was the joint secretary (administration) before he headed the IPA desk. This makes him familiar with the problems that beset the sensitive external affairs ministry. Katju?s earlier postings were Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Washington, Haiti and Kuala Lumpur. Though he has never handled hijackers before, his approach during the Kargil crisis was that of a man who is not easily unnerved and has enough patience to wear out a bargainer. Katju, of course, is always in touch with the Crisis Management Group at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, answering queries or following the advice of the policymakers in the Prime Minister?s Office.