Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed India’s envoy to Sri Lanka

Saturday, 24 September 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Indian Government has appointed Taranjit Singh Sandhu as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, the ANI news service reported.

A Ministry of External Affairs statement said that Sandhu, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is expected to take up his new assignment shortly. Sandhu was born on 23 January 1963. He had his schooling at the Lawrence School, Sanwar (HP) and graduated with History (Honours) from St. Stephens’ College, Delhi.

Sandhu has served in the former Soviet Union (Russia) from 1990-1992 as Third Secretary (Political)/Second Secretary (Commercial).

He was instrumental in opening a new embassy in Ukraine and served as the Head of Political and Administration from 1992-1994. Upon his return to India, Sandhu served as OSD (Press Relations), Ministry of External Affairs from 1994-1997.

He was responsible for liaising with foreign media in India. In April 1997 Sandhu joined the Embassy of India in Washington as First Secretary (Political) responsible for liaising with the US Congress.

He spearheaded India’s successful efforts to obtain a congressional waiver of sanctions imposed on it in 1998 following nuclear tests. He served as Counsellor (Political) in the High Commission of India, Colombo from December 2000-September 2004.

He also served as Director (BSM) from September 2004-July 2005 looking after Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Myanmar at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. In July 2005, Sandhu joined the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York, where he was India’s delegate to the UN Committee on Peacekeeping, UN Committee on Information, UN Committee on Decolonization and the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly.

Sandhu returned to the headquarters in March 2009 as the Joint Secretary (United Nations) and later as the Joint Secretary (Administration) heading the Human Resource Department Division of the Ministry of External Affairs until August 2011. He was Consul General of India in Frankfurt from September 2011-July 2013. He assumed his new assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington D.C on 29 July 2013. Sandhu is married to Reenat Sandhu, who is also an officer of the Indian Foreign Service (1989 batch) and has two children.

(Colombo Gazette)