Vikram Misri, an expert on China and former Indian Ambassador to Beijing, was today appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat. Mishri, a 1989 batch IFS officer, will succeed Pankaj Saran.
Pankaj Saran will leave the office on 31 December 2021. Before this, Saran was India’s ambassador to Russia. Vikram Misri was inducted into the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) after Pradeep Kumar Rawat was appointed as the new Ambassador of India to China.
Vikram Misri has worked in the Prime Minister’s Office in the past and is well acquainted with the strategic environment in the Indo Pacific. After being appointed as Deputy NSA, he will report to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Apart from this, there are two other deputy NSAs, one is Rajendra Khanna, and the other is Datta Pandasalgir.
Vikram Misri said many important things in a farewell meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi online in early December. Misri noted that some challenges harmed the vast opportunities in bilateral relations.
However, he expressed the hope that both sides would be able to resolve these difficulties through continuous dialogue.
The border standoff between India and China has been on for several months after the Chinese occupied Indian territory in Ladakh. Several rounds of military talks have also taken place to end the deadlock without results.
Who is Vikram Misri?
Misri was born in Srinagar, India on November 7, 1964. Misri holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Delhi and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Jamshedpur Business School (XLRI), India. After working in the advertising industry for three years, Misri joined the Indian Foreign Service Service (IFS) in 1989 as a professional diplomat, having worked in Indian embassies and consulates in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.
On August 31, 2016, Misri began to serve as India’s special envoy to Myanmar later as the ambassador to China. Prior to that, he worked at the headquarters of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Prime Minister of India. Misri also served as the Consul General of the Indian Consulate General in Munich, Germany, the Deputy High Commissioner of the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ambassador to Spain.
He has experience in the Indian Embassy in the United States and the Indian High Commission in Pakistan. In addition, Misri has served as the personal secretary of former Indian Prime Minister IK Gujral, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and current Prime Minister Modi.
Misri is fluent in Hindi, English and Kashmiri, and can use French as a working language.
Vikram Misri’s role in India China Conflict
As per the news, in August, Misri met with a senior Chinese army general in Beijing last Friday and introduced India’s position on the situation on the eastern border of Ladakh. During the meeting, Misri urged China to withdraw its troops.