India likely to appoint IFS Naveen Srivastava as next ambassador to Nepal

New Delhi: China expert Naveen Srivastava is tipped to succeed Kwatra as India’s next ambassador to Nepal.

Srivastava, presently Additional Secretary, handling the East Asia desk in Ministry of External Affairs is the man who has been an integral part of India-China military commanders meeting to defuse the situation in East Ladakh after PLA transgressed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May 2020.

While Srivastava, a 1993 batch IFS officer, will be handle the sensitive relations with Nepal, there is very strong possibility of his batchmate Sudhakar Dalela, presently Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, to be appointed as Ambassador to Bhutan with incumbent Ruchira Kamboj expected to take over as India’s permanent envoy to UN after incumbent T S Tirumurti attains superannuation in June 2022.

Dalela has handled Bhutan as desk-incharge in the MEA before being posted to Washington and was the man who fought the diplomatic battle during the 2017 Doklam crisis precipitated by an aggressive PLA in tri-junction area on the Siliguri corridor.