Former Indian Ambassdor to Beijing Vikram Misri is new deputy NSA

New Delhi, Dec 27: Former Indian envoy to Beijing Vikram Misri was today appointed deputy national security adviser in the national security council secretariat. He will replace Pankaj Saran who demits office on December 31, 2021.

The government has already appointed Pradeep Kumar Rawat as India's new envoy to China. Misri will report to national security adviser Ajit Doval.

At present, Rajinder Khanna, Pankaj Saran and Dattatray Padsalgikar are serving as deputy NSAs.

A 1989-batch India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Misri took charge here in January 2019 when India and China made efforts to deepen their cooperation in various areas, leaving behind the 2017 Doklam standoff which was the most serious military face-off in decades.

But the relations nosedived with the East Ladakh military standoff.

He was appointed the Private Secretary to Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997. Following this, he had various stints in the Prime Ministers Office and Ministry of External Affairs, as well as several Indian missions abroad.

In 2012, he was appointed the private secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He continued to serve in that capacity when Singh was succeeded by Narendra Modi. He was appointed the ambassador to Spain in 2014.

Before his appointment to China, Misri served as India's envoy in Myanmar.

He had also served in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

Misri, who hails from Srinagar, is married to Dolly Misri.