CleanupBot at 05:10, 11 December 2022

2022-12-11T05:10:13Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[His Excellency]]
| name = Ajay Bisaria
| image =
| order1 = [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|High Commissioner of India to Canada]]
| term_start1 = 3 March 2020
| term_end1 =
| president1 = [[Ramnath Kovind]]
| predecessor1 = [[Vikas Swarup]]
| successor1 =
| order2 = [[High Commissioner of India]] to [[Pakistan]]
| president2 = [[Ramnath Kovind]]
| term_start2 = 12 December 2017
| term_end2 = 31 August 2019
| predecessor2 = [[Gautam Bambawale]]
| successor2 = ''Vacant''
| order3 = [[Indian Foreign Service|Ambassador of India to Poland]]
| term_start3 = 1 January 2015
| term_end3 = 1 November 2017
| president3 = [[Pranab Mukherjee]]
| order4 = [[Indian Foreign Service|Ambassador of India to Lithuania]]
| president4 = [[Pranab Mukherjee]]
| term_start4 = 1 January 2015
| term_end4 = 1 November 2017
| predecessor3 = [[Monika Kapil Mohta]]
| successor3 =
| predecessor4 = [[Monika Kapil Mohta]]
| successor4 =
| birth_name =[[Patna]], [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| nationality = {{flagicon|India}} [[Indian people|Indian]]
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = Bharati Bisaria<ref>{{cite web |title=Who is Ajay Bisaria |date=November 2017 |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/who-is-ajay-bisaria-the-ifs-officer-appointed-as-the-new-indian-high-commissioner-to-pakistan-know-all-about-him/915992/ |accessdate=8 March 2019}}</ref>
| alma_mater = [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta]] ([[MBA]])<br>[[Princeton University]] ([[Master of Public Policy|MPP]])
| residence =
| signature =
| children =
| profession = [[Indian Foreign Service|Diplomat]]
}}

'''Ajay Bisaria''' is an Indian career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. Since 2020, he has served as the High Commissioner of India to Canada. Previously, he served as High Commissioner of India to Pakistan from 12 December 2017 – 31 August 2019. Prior to joining the diplomatic service, Bisaria worked briefly with the [[American Express|American Express Bank]] and [[Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited]] in Delhi.

==Education==
He received his early education in [[Mumbai]] and [[Delhi|New Delhi]].<ref name=":0" /> He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi|St. Stephens College, Delhi University]] (1980–83), a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the [[Indian Institute of Management Kolkata alumni|Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata]] (1983–85) and a Master’s degree in [[Public policy|Public Policy]] from [[Princeton University]] (2008 – 09).

==Career==
After training at the [[Foreign Service Institute, India|Foreign Service Institute]] in New Delhi, he chose Russian as his language of specialization and was posted at the Indian Embassy in [[Moscow]] (1988 – 1991) where he was attached to the economic and political wings of the Embassy. He worked as a Soviet internal affairs specialist in the months leading up to the dissolution of the USSR.

He served as Under Secretary in the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] on the East Europe desk (1991 – 92) when India was engaged in building new relationships with the post-Soviet countries. He then moved to the [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)|Ministry of Commerce]] (1992–95), in the era of economic liberalization. He contributed to a new trade policy paradigm, using his training in economics and finance as part of a team that managed a complex transition of India’s trade arrangements to a hard currency system.

He was posted as First Secretary in the Indian Embassy in Berlin (1995–1999), where oversaw commercial relations at a time of rising economic engagement between Germany and a liberalizing India. He also oversaw the development and construction of the new building of the Embassy of Indian in Berlin in the historic Tiergarten.

In 1999, Bisaria was appointed [[Private Secretary]] to the [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], and served in the role for the whole of Vajpayee's term, until 2004. In addition to his official duties, he acted as an advisor to Vajpayee on various economic, defence and foreign policy initiatives. He attended more than 50 international summits with the Prime Minister's delegation.

Following his service at the [[Prime Minister's Office (India)|Prime Minister's Office]], Bisaria was seconded to the [[World Bank]] in Washington D.C. as an Advisor to the Executive Director for South Asia (2004–2008), where he worked on development projects and aid issues, contributing to corporate governance and multilateral economic diplomacy. He was involved in developing a policy approach to enhance India’s rankings in reports on the Ease of Doing Business.

In 2009, Bisaria returned to Delhi to serve as Joint Secretary (Eurasia) in the Ministry of External Affairs (2009–2014). In this role, he coordinated India's foreign policy and bilateral relations with the Eurasia region (including Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia). He was the principal architect behind the [[United Progressive Alliance]] government's new policy outlook for India in Central Asia (‘Connect Central Asia’) and coordinated India’s approach to six annual Indo-Russian summits. Additionally, he led the development of the India-Russia ‘special and privileged strategic partnership’. He also worked on India’s relationship with multilateral institutions like the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization]], including managing India's application to join the group, and led India's participation in the Russia–India–China trilateral dialogue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.narendramodi.in/russia-india-china-trilateral-nov-2018-542471|title=Russia - India - China - trilateral Dialogue|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

In January 2015, Bisaria was appointed India’s [[India–Poland relations|Ambassador to Poland]], based in [[Warsaw]], with [[concurrent accreditation]] to Lithuania,<ref name=":0" /> serving until November 2017. During his time in Poland, he focused on forging economic partnerships and deepening India’s cultural footprint in Central and Eastern Europe. He also served as India’s representative in the Warsaw-based [[Community of Democracies]].

== As High Commissioner to Pakistan ==
From December 2017 to August 2019, Bisaria served as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.org.pk/hpages.php?id=2|title=Welcome to High Commission of India, Islamabad, Pakistan|website=www.india.org.pk|access-date=2020-01-28}}</ref> During his tenure, Pakistan and India experienced a decline in bilateral relations – arising from increased violence in the contested region of Kashmir – which culminated in the [[Balakot airstrike]], the first instance of aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani air forces since the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] in 1971. Prior to these events, however, Bisaria helped India establish a relationship with the newly-elected [[Tehreek-i-Insaf]] Government of Prime Minister [[Imran Khan]]. He also worked on efforts to expand Indian nationals' access to the [[Kartarpur Corridor]]. He returned to India when Pakistan downgraded its bilateral relationship with India.

In the [[Indian Civil Service]], he currently holds the personal rank of [[Secretary to the Government of India]]. He was part of the team representing India at the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]], Geneva in September 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/tags/human-rights-council|title=human rights council|website=UN News|language=en|access-date=2020-01-28}}</ref> to promote India’s record on human rights.

== As High Commissioner to Canada ==
In March 2020, Bisaria was appointed High Commissioner to Canada.<ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ajay-bisaria-appointed-indias-next-high-commissioner-to-canada/articleshow/73804604.cms</ref> He succeeded [[Vikas Swarup]], who was promoted to the newly-created public service post of Secretary for Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs. Bisaria's tenure began during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and has involved facilitating the repatriation of Indian nationals. Additionally, he was responsible for defending India's response to the [[2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest]] after implicit criticism was levelled against the Government of India by Canadian Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{twitter|Ajaybis}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisaria, Ajay}}
[[Category:High Commissioners of India to Pakistan]]
[[Category:Indian Institute of Management Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni]]
[[Category:St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Indian Foreign Service officers]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Lithuania]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Poland]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Ajay Bisaria - Revision history

CleanupBot at 05:10, 11 December 2022