S. Jaishankar | |
|---|---|
 Jaishankar in 2023 | |
| Minister of External Affairs | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2019 | |
| President | Ramnath Kovind Droupadi Murmu |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Sushma Swaraj |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Amit Shah |
| Constituency | Gujarat |
| Foreign Secretary of India | |
| In office 28 January 2015 – 28 January 2018 | |
| Minister | Sushma Swaraj |
| Preceded by | Sujatha Singh |
| Succeeded by | Vijay Keshav Gokhale |
| Ambassador of India to the United States | |
| In office 1 December 2013 – 28 January 2015 | |
| President | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Nirupama Rao |
| Succeeded by | Arun Kumar Singh |
| Ambassador of India to China | |
| In office 1 June 2009 – 1 December 2013 | |
| President | Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Nirupama Rao |
| Succeeded by | Ashok Kantha |
| High Commissioner of India to Singapore | |
| In office 1 January 2007 – 1 June 2009 | |
| President | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Succeeded by | TCA Raghavan |
| Ambassador of India to the Czech Republic | |
| In office 1 January 2001 – 1 January 2004 | |
| President | K. R. Narayanan A.P.J. Abdul Kalam |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | P. S. Raghavan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (1955-01-09)9 January 1955 (age 70) |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Sanjay Subrahmanyam (brother) |
| Residence | |
| Alma mater | Delhi University (BSc) Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA,MPhil,PhD) |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | Padma Shri (2019) |
| ||
|---|---|---|
31st Foreign Secretary of India 2015–2018 30th Minister of External Affairs of India Incumbent
| ||
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955), better known asS. Jaishankar, is an Indian politician and retired diplomat of theIndian foreign service (IFS) who has held the office of theminister of external affairs of theGovernment of India since 31 May 2019.[1] He is the second longest serving minister of external affairs behindJawaharlal Nehru. Jaishankar is a member of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a member of parliament who sits in theRajya Sabha. He previously served as theforeign secretary of India from 2015 to 2018.[2]
Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977, and during a diplomatic career spanning over 38 years, served in different capacities in India and abroad, including as ahigh commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009) and asambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–2004),China (2009–2013) and theUnited States (2014–2015). Jaishankar was one of the officials in the ministry of external affairs, thedepartment of atomic energy, and theprime minister's office, who played a key role in negotiating theIndia–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement. On retirement, Jaishankar received an unusual exemption from the “cooling off period” mandated for all retiring civil servants and joinedTata Sons as president, global corporate affairs.[3] In January 2019, Jaishankar was conferred with thePadma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.[4] In May 2019, Jaishankar was sworn in as acabinet minister in thesecond Modi ministry.[5] He has been credited for maintaining stable relations between India and China even after theDoklam Standoff.[6] Jaishankar is the first former foreign secretary of India to head the ministry of external affairs as cabinet minister.[7][8]
Jaishankar was born on 9 January 1955[9] in Delhi, India, to a prominent Indian civil servantKrishnaswamy Subrahmanyam[1][10] and Sulochana Subrahmanyam.[1] He was brought up in aTamil Hindu family.[11] He has a sister, Sudha Subrahmanyam, and two brothers: historianSanjay Subrahmanyam andIAS officer S. Vijay Kumar,[12] former rural development secretary of India.[13][14]
Jaishankar did his schooling atThe Air Force School,Delhi, and at theBangalore Military School,Bangalore. He then did his bachelor's degree in chemistry fromSt. Stephen's College, Delhi ofDelhi University.[15] He has an MA in political science and an M.Phil. and PhD in international relations fromJawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he specialised in nuclear diplomacy.[16][17][18]
After joining the IFS in 1977, Jaishankar served as third secretary and second secretary in the Indian mission to theSoviet Union in Moscow from 1979 to 1981. He returned to New Delhi, where he worked as a special assistant to diplomatGopalaswami Parthasarathy and as undersecretary in the Americas division of India'sministry of external affairs, dealing with United States. He was part of the team that resolved the dispute over the supply of US nuclear fuel to the Tarapur Power Stations in India.[10] From 1985 to 1988, he was the first secretary at theIndian embassy in Washington, D.C.[16]
From 1988 to 1990, he served in Sri Lanka as first secretary and political adviser to theIndian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF).[16][19] From 1990 to 1993, he was counsellor (commercial) at the Indian mission inBudapest. Returning to New Delhi, he served as director (East Europe) in theministry of external affairs and as press secretary and speechwriter forShankar Dayal Sharma, thenpresident of India.[20]
Jaishankar was then deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Tokyo from 1996 to 2000.[16] This period saw a downturn inIndia–Japan relations following India'sPokhran-II nuclear tests as well as a recovery after a visit to India by then Japanese prime ministerYoshiro Mori.[21] Jaishankar is reported to have helped introduce future Japanese prime ministerShinzō Abe toManmohan Singh.[22] In 2000, he was appointed India's ambassador to theCzech Republic.
From 2004 to 2007, Jaishankar was joint secretary (Americas) at theministry of external affairs in New Delhi. In this capacity, he was involved in negotiating theIndia–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement and improving defence cooperation, including during relief operations following the2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.[23][24] Jaishankar was also involved with the conclusion of the 2005 New Defense Framework[25] and theOpen Skies Agreement,[26] and he was associated with the launch of the India–United States Energy Dialogue,[27] the India-United States Economic Dialogue, and the India-United States CEO's Forum.[28] In 2006–2007, Jaishankar led the Indian team during the negotiations on the123 Agreement with the United States.[29] He also represented the Indian government at theCarnegie Endowment International Non-proliferation Conference in June 2007.[30]
Jaishankar was one of those considered for the post of India'sforeign secretary in 2013 but lost out toSujatha Singh, who became the third woman to serve in the post.[31][32]
From 2007 to 2009, Jaishankar served as India'shigh commissioner to Singapore.[16] During his tenure, he helped implement theComprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that expanded India's business presence in Singapore,[33] and oversaw a defence arrangement by which Singapore keeps some of its military equipment in India on a permanent basis.[34] Jaishankar also promoted thePravasi Bharatiya Divas,[35] and IIMPact[36] in Singapore.
Jaishankar was India's longest-servingambassador to China, with a four-and-a-half-year term.[37] In Beijing, Jaishankar was involved in improving economic, trade and cultural relations between China and India, and in managing theSino-Indian border dispute.[38][39]
Jaishankar's tenure as India's ambassador to China coincided with several major developments in relations between the two countries.[37] His 2010 briefing to theIndian cabinet committee on security regarding China's refusal to issue a visa to the head of theIndian Army'sNorthern Command led to a suspension of Indian defence co-operation with China, before the situation was resolved in April 2011.[40] Also in 2010, Jaishankar negotiated an end to the Chinese policy of issuing stapled visas to Indians fromJammu and Kashmir.[41] In 2012, in response toChinese passports showingArunachal Pradesh andAksai Chin as parts of China, he ordered visas issued to Chinese nationals showing those territories as parts of India.[42] In May 2013, he negotiated the end of a stand-off resulting from theencampment by China'sPeople's Liberation Army onLadakh'sDepsang Plains, threatening to cancelPremierLi Keqiang's scheduled visit to India if Chinese forces did not withdraw[43][44]
Jaishankar advocated deeper Indian cooperation with China as long as India's "core interests" were respected,[45] and argued for bettermarket access for Indian businesses operating in China on the grounds that more balanced trade was necessary for the bilateral economic relationship to be sustainable.[46] He was also involved in improving people-to-people contacts between India and China, promoting events that showcased Indian culture in 30 Chinese cities.[47]
Jaishankar was appointed India's ambassador to the United States in September 2013. He took charge on 23 December 2013, succeedingNirupama Rao.[37][48] He arrived in the United States amid theDevyani Khobragade incident, and was involved in negotiating the Indian diplomat's departure from the country.[49] On 29 January 2014, Jaishankar addressed theCarnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he argued that "the grand strategy underwriting [Indian-American] ties is fundamentally sound" but that ties suffered from a "problem of sentiment."[50][51]
On 10 March 2014, he formally presented his credentials to US PresidentBarack Obama at theOval Office.[52] Jaishankar was involved in the planning of the Indian prime ministerNarendra Modi's maiden visit to the country in September 2014, welcoming him upon his arrival and hosting a dinner in his honour for members of theIndian-American community.[53][54]
Jaishankar was appointedforeign secretary of India on 29 January 2015. The announcement of his appointment was made following a 28 January 2015 meeting of theappointments committee of the cabinet chaired by the Modi.[55][56] His tenure extension of one year saw a transformation in the working of the ministry of external affairs.[57][58] His appointment came three days before the date on which he would ordinarily have retired and meant the unprecedented termination of Sujatha Singh’s two year tenure as foreign secretary. Singh was offered a sinecure as compensation but preferred to resign from government service. Jaishankar is widely criticised by Nepalese analysts for being the "original planner of2015 Nepal blockade."[59][60] His tenure expired in January 2018.[61]
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On 31 May 2019, Jaishankar was appointed to the Office of theminister of external affairs in thesecond Modi ministry.[62] Jaishankar was sworn in ascabinet minister on 30 May 2019.[63] On 5 July 2019, he was elected asmember of Parliament from theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to theRajya Sabha fromGujarat.[64] He succeededSushma Swaraj who was theexternal affairs minister inNarendra Modi's first government.
In October 2020, Jaishankar and theIndian minister of defence,Rajnath Singh, met withUS Secretary of State,Mike Pompeo andUS Secretary of Defense,Mark T. Esper to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation (BECA), which facilitates the sharing of sensitive information and intelligence—including access to highly-accurate nautical, aeronautical, topographical, and geospatial data—between United States and India. The agreement had been under discussion for over a decade, but previous concerns over information security impelled theUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government to block it.[65] In response to the dialogue,Wang Wenbin, the Chinese spokesperson for theministry of foreign affairs, criticised the move and advised Pompeo to "abandon his Cold War mentality, zero-sum mindset, and stop harping on the "China threat."[66] In February 2021, when theModi government came under scrutiny at the 46th session of theUnited Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for human rights violations, Jaishankar asserted that nations should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and should respect national sovereignty.[67][68]
In November 2022, during a joint press conference along withRussian foreign minister,Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar praisedRussia as an "exceptionally steady" and "time-tested" partner of India and advocated a return to dialogue and peace between Russia and Ukraine, amid the ongoingRussian invasion of Ukraine.[69] In June 2023, theAssociated Press (AP) reported that Jaishankar had announced that India will remain committed in its stance on not inviting Ukraine to the2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, India.[70] Jaishankar firmly defended buyingRussian oil even after sanctions by numerous countries during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he criticised Europe for "double standards."[71][72][73] During theGLOBSEC 2022 forum in Slovakia, responding to a question on India's official position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said, "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."[74] In response, German chancellorOlaf Scholz said, "he has a point," before adding "it wouldn't be Europe's problem alone if the law of the strong were to assert itself in international relations."[75] During his visit to Germany for theMunich Security Conference, Jaishankar emphasised that Europe must recognise that India cannot adopt the same perspective on Russia as Europe does.[76]
In August 2022, Jaishankar defended India's continued diplomatic engagement withMyanmar's military junta.[77] In January 2023, Jaishankar called Pakistan "The epicenter of terrorism" in an interview with Austrian broadcasterORF. He added," I can use much harsher words than epicentre for Pakistan for its role in promoting cross-border terrorism as he underlined that the world needs to be concerned about terrorism."[78] Later in August 2024, he stated, "The era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. What I do want to say is that we are not passive, and whether events take a positive or negative direction, either way we will react."[79] He condemned theHamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 as a terrorist act, but also talked about the plight of the Palestinian people, suggesting a "two-state solution" through "dialogue and negotiation."[80] Jaishankar said, "We have always supported a negotiatedtwo-state solution, towards establishment of a sovereign, independent and viableState of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel."[81]
In May 2023, duringBilawal Bhutto Zardari's visit to India for theShanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Jaishankar sharply criticised Pakistan's record on terrorism. He described Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, then thePakistani minister for foreign affairs, as a "promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry," asserting that this industry was the mainstay of Pakistan.[82][83][84] Jaishankar stated, "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism," and emphasised that India would continue to defend itself, counter acts of terrorism, and delegitimise Pakistan's support for such activities.[82][84][85] He further remarked that Pakistan's credibility on terrorism was "depleting even faster than its forex reserves," and dismissed any suggestion of normal engagement while cross-border terrorism persisted.[82][85]
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In October 2024, responding on the relationship withChina, Jaishankar said atCarnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, "The overall relationship with China had “not been great” over the last few years because China had reneged on certain agreements it had with India about how to keep the border between the two countries tranquil."[86] In September 2024, on trade with China, he said at theGulf Cooperation Council Joint Ministerial Meeting in Riyadh, "We are not closed to business from China. There is nobody who can say I will not do business with China. I think the issue is which sectors do you do business in and on what terms you do business. It is far more complicated than a black and white binary answer."[87][88] During an official visit toLondon in March 2025, his security was breached.[89]
During the2025 India–Pakistan conflict, Jaishankar played a pivotal diplomatic role. Jaishankar in an undated video said, "At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying, 'We are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military.'" This statement was criticised by the opposition leaders such asRahul Gandhi who accused Jaishankar of tipping-off Pakistan.[90] The MEA later said that Jaishankar had informed Pakistan after India launched the military operation.[91] According to Jaishankar, Pakistan initiated fire following India’s strikes and the exchange ceased at Pakistan’s request.[92][93][94] In July 2025, he rejected claims of US mediation in the ceasefire with Pakistan.[95] However, Trump reiterated that he mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan.[96]
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Jaishankar was married to his first wife Shobha until she succumbed to cancer. The two had met while studying atJawaharlal Nehru University.[97] Later, he married Kyoko Somekawa,[98][99] ofJapanese origin, whom he met while working in the Indian embassy in Japan. They have two sons, Dhruva and Arjun, and a daughter, Medha.[100]
In 2019, theIndian government awarded him thePadma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.[101]
he was like all displaced Tamil Brahmins
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| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Indian Ambassador to China 2009–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Indian Ambassador to the United States 2013–2015 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Foreign Secretary of India 2015–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of External Affairs 30 May 2019 – present | Incumbent |
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| International | |
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| Other | |
