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Former Diplomat S Jaishankar Is India’s New External Affairs Minister

Jaishankar was India’s foreign secretary during Modi’s first term.

Former Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar speaks during an interview on India’s military modernisation (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)
Former Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar speaks during an interview on India’s military modernisation (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will head the ministry of external affairs during Narendra Modi’s second term as Prime Minister.

The former diplomat, who held the position of foreign secretary in Modi’s first term, will take over the portfolio earlier held by Sushma Swaraj. Jaishankar did not contest in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Jaishankar took oath as cabinet minister held as a part of the swearing-in ceremony of Modi on Thursday.

Jaishankar, son of late K Subrahmanyam, one of India’s leading strategic analysts, was a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the landmark India-U.S. nuclear deal.

Jaishankar’s appointment as foreign secretary in January 2015 had evoked a sharp reaction from various quarters over the timing of the government’s decision to remove Sujatha Singh. He had earlier served as India’s ambassador to the U.S. and before that to China.

A 1977-batch Indian Foreign Services officer, Jaishankar played a key role in resolving the crisis following the incursion in Ladakh’s Depsang and the Doklam standoff. He was also conferred Padma Shri—India’s fourth-highest cilivilan honour in 2019.

(With inputs from PTI)