NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is likely to get an extension when his term ends in January 28 next year, say sources in the Ministry of External Affairs. The only doubt in South Block is whether it is for one year or two. The 1977-batch IFS officer was appointed on January 29, 2015—just two days before he was to retire.
The 61-year-old Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is likely to get an extension at his desk. He enjoys the full confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. If he gets an additional two years, he will last the full term of the NDA government. He will also be the first Foreign Secretary to get such an extension.
MEA sources told The Sunday Standard, “It (Foreign Secretary) is a political appointment. An extension of service can only be on contract. As per the rule of appointments, this is for a two-year term. However,
it is up to the government to decide the tenure.”
Jaishankar has ably executed the PMO’s mandate of “Neighbourhood First”. Modi’s diplomacy also stresses on leveraging international partnerships to fuel India’s growth, strengthen its foothold in the Indo-Pacific region through the “Act East” policy and isolate Pakistan on terrorism.
Dr Jaishankar, with invaluable experience on America and China under his belt, was the first choice of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for Foreign Secretary. But Singh was advised by senior Congressmen to ignore seniority and Sujatha Singh got the job. However, the present NDA government removed her seven months before her tenure expired. She was the second Foreign Secretary to be sacked after Rajiv Gandhi dropped A P Venkateswaran 28 years ago.
Going by the seniority, the next senior-most IFS officer after Jaishankar is Anil Wadhwa, (1979-batch), India’s ambassador to Italy. He arrived in Rome when ties between India and Italy were tense following the Italian Marines issue. Sources said Indo-Italian relations are getting back on track after he moved in. Wadhwa’s experience in Beijing also makes him a preferred candidate for the post, since the Foreign Secretary directly handles ties with the US, China and Pakistan.
Another contender is Wadhwa’s batchmate Saravjit Chakravarti, at present, India’s Ambassador to Slovenia. Closer home, Secretary (West) Sujata Mehta (1980 batch) is said to be eligible to take charge from Jaishankar, if he retires as scheduled. Navtej Sarna (1980 batch), ambassador to the US is another name doing the rounds.
A Foreign Secretary has a fixed tenure of two years; a rule put in place by the UPA-II government in 2010.