Afghanistan handled well, diplomat set to move to Israel as envoy

Jitender Pal Singh, set to become India’s ambassador to Israel, succeeds Sanjiv Singla.

The Government of India, reportedly satisfied with the handling of critical diplomatic challenges, is set to appoint Joint Secretary Jitender Pal Singh (IFS: 2002), currently overseeing the Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran (PAI) Division, as its next ambassador to Israel.

Currently, the embassy in Tel Aviv is headed by Sanjiv Singla, a 1997 batch IFS officer, who assumed office in October 2019. The assignment in Israel is considered a prestigious and strategically significant posting, often awarded to officers with exceptional potential. Prominent diplomats who have held this position include Pawan Kapur, Navtej Sarna, Ranjan Mathai, and Shivashankar Menon.

Singh took charge of managing India’s interests in Afghanistan just days before the withdrawal of the American forces, tackling challenges such as the Taliban being used by Pakistan’s deep state, Afghanistan’s potential alignment with China and Pakistan, and safeguarding India’s investments and strategic concerns. Despite initial concerns, four years later, the India-Afghanistan relationship under the Taliban regime has defied the expectations of several observers in India, the US, China, and Pakistan, who anticipated and pushed for a breakdown in ties.

The Taliban-led government has so far addressed India’s key concerns, maintaining independence from Beijing and Islamabad’s influence in matters concerning India. Singh successfully engaged with various stakeholders in Kabul, ensuring that decisions related to bilateral ties are broad-based and strategically sound.

The posting to Tel Aviv is crucial, given the Middle East’s evolving geopolitical dynamics and Israel’s growing importance to India in areas such as defence, cybersecurity, and counter-terrorism.

Before his role overseeing the PAI Division in New Delhi, Singh served in Moscow (2004-2006), as Second Secretary (Political) in Kabul (2008-2012), and as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad (2014-2019), managing the complexities of India-Pakistan relations. The PAI division is considered one of the Ministry of External Affairs’ most critical verticals.

It remains unclear who will succeed Singh in the PAI Division, where a few other significant replacements of officials are on the cards.