Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, delivered a strong message to the United Nations on Tuesday, implicitly targeting the United States and Canada. He emphasised that responses to terrorism, extremism, and violence should not be driven by political convenience
2 days later, during their meeting in Washington on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken engaged in discussions covering a wide array of topics, as reported by the US State Department. Notably, there was no specific mention of the recent dispute regarding Canada's allegations of India's involvement in the Khalistani terrorist's killing
Throughout his illustrious career, he has occupied pivotal roles within the Indian government, notably serving as India's ambassador to significant nations and entities, including the United States, China, and the European Union. His reputation is built upon his profound understanding of foreign policy matters, strong stances of various subjects and his exceptional leadership abilities. Jaishankar has been instrumental in shaping India's foreign policy landscape and fortifying the nation's international relations with countries across the globe
Jaishankar, born in Delhi, India, into a prominent family, is the son of Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam and Sulochana Subrahmanyam. He has two well-known brothers: historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam and former Rural Development Secretary S. Vijay Kumar
Jaishankar attended The Air Force School in Delhi and Bangalore Military School before pursuing a bachelor's degree in chemistry at St. Stephen's College in Delhi. He continued his academic journey with an MA in political science and completed an M.Phil. and PhD in international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), specialising in nuclear diplomacy
In 1977, Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service. He held positions as a third secretary and second secretary at the Indian mission in Moscow, where he studied Russian. Upon returning to New Delhi, he served as a special assistant to diplomat Gopalaswami Parthasarathy and as undersecretary in the Americas division of India's Ministry of External Affairs
Jaishankar played a significant role in resolving the dispute over the supply of US nuclear fuel to India's Tarapur Power Stations. He also served as the first secretary at the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1985 to 1988
His career took him to various international assignments, including serving in Sri Lanka as First Secretary and political adviser to the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) and as Counsellor (Commercial) at the Indian mission in Budapest
Upon returning to New Delhi, Jaishankar served as Director (East Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs and worked as press secretary and speechwriter for President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma
Jaishankar served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo from 1996 to 2000 and was appointed India's ambassador to the Czech Republic in 2000
From 2004 to 2007, he was Joint Secretary (Americas) at the Ministry of External Affairs, playing a pivotal role in negotiating the US-India civil nuclear agreement and enhancing defence cooperation
Jaishankar served as India's High Commissioner to Singapore from 2007 to 2009 and was India's longest-serving ambassador to China, managing Sino-Indian relations and border disputes
In September 2013, Jaishankar was appointed as India's Ambassador to the United States. Later, in January 2015, he became India's Foreign Secretary. He currently serves as the Minister of External Affairs and a Member of Parliament from Gujarat, continuing to play a crucial role in India's foreign relations