Published 09:35 IST, February 1st 2020
Ajay Bisaria appointed as India's High Commissioner to Canada
Bisaria last served as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan but returned to India after the revocation of Article 370 that previously gave J&K special status
Ajay Bisaria has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Canada. Bisaria was serving as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan but returned to India in August last year after the union government revoked Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
New appointment
Soon after the announcement, Bisaria tweeted that it was a privilege and that he was looking forward to catching up with old friends.
Bisaria is a graduate from the 1987 IFS batch and was posted as First Secretary in the Indian Embassy in Berlin (1995–1999), where he looked after commercial matters at a time of rising economic engagement between Germany and India. He was also entrusted with the project for the development and construction of the now iconic building of the Indian Embassy in Berlin in the historic Tiergarten.
He has previously served as the Principal Secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1999 to 2004. He has also worked at the World Bank as the advisor to the executive director for four years between 2004 and 2008.
He was India’s Ambassador to Poland, based in Warsaw, with concurrent accreditation to Lithuania from January 2015 to November 2017. During this stint, he focused on forging strong economic partnerships while deepening India’s cultural footprint.
During his stint as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan, Bisaria oversaw the development and the opening of the Kartarpur corridor. He currently holds the rank of Secretary to Government of India and is engaged in multiple policy issues.
Bisaria was also part of the team representing India at the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva in September 2019, for a successful outreach on India’s human rights record.
The External Affairs Ministry notification stated that Bisaria will be taking up the role 'shortly'.
Updated 09:35 IST, February 1st 2020