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Who is JP Singh, India's envoy to Israel, MEA's ‘go-to' diplomat in times of crisis?
JP Singh is India's Ambassador to Israel as New Delhi begins evacuation of its nationals from the West Asian country. X/@IsraelinIndia
India's Ambassador to Israel is in the spotlight again. As military tensions escalate between Israel and Iran, New Delhi has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from the two warring countries in West Asia.
As India rescues its citizens from Israel, India's envoy in Tel Aviv – Jitendra Pal (JP) Singh – is at the centre of it all. Under him, India is navigating the Iran-Israel conflict, which has caused turmoil in West Asia.
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Singh was recently the subject of Netflix's The Diplomat starring John Abraham. The movie is based on the high-profile Uzma Ahmed rescue case in Pakistan, which was handled by him.
Who is the Indian diplomat? We take a look.
Who is JP Singh?
JP Singh, a 2002 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as India's Ambassador to Israel.
His appointment came in January this year at a crucial time, during Israel and Hamas' ceasefire in Gaza.
Singh replaced Sanjeev Singla, who is the Indian Ambassador to Paris. His tenure as Indian Ambassador in Tel Aviv is significant for bilateral defence and trade ties between the two countries. Singh was sent to Israel at a time when Indian workers are increasingly going to work in Israel.
The West Asian country is home to more than 32,000 Indian nationals.
As Iran and Israel's conflict intensifies, Singh is again India's point-person for managing a crisis on foreign soil.
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MEA's top pick for Iran, Afghanistan
JP Singh has held several big posts at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He has served in Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey.
The diplomat was the joint secretary in the key Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran (PAI) division of the MEA.
Last year, Singh was responsible for maintaining a balance between India's relationship with Iran and its regional rival, Israel, as they traded missiles.
He also steered high-level engagements between India and Iran when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian died, reported The Hindu.
Singh was posted in Kabul as the first secretary between 2008 and 2012. During his tenure, he dealt with the aftermath of two suicide attacks by the Taliban on the Indian Embassy in 2008 and 2009.
After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Singh went to Kabul to meet Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani network behind the attacks on the Indian Embassy and consulates in Afghanistan.
Last November, he held talks with the Taliban's Acting Defence Minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, to expand ties between India and Afghanistan.
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The Administrator of National Defense Ministry met with a
Delegation from India.
The defense ministry's administrator, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob
'Mujahid' at his office today, met with an Indian delegation, headed by... pic.twitter.com/Ju8IKncQn4 — د ملي دفاع وزارت - وزارت دفاع ملی (@MoDAfghanistan2) November 6, 2024
His meeting is seen to have cleared the path for Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's talks with the Taliban regime's Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January.
JP Singh's hard talk with Pakistan
Singh was India's deputy high commissioner to Pakistan between 2014 and 2019. He managed tensions between the two countries for a decade, including seeing a brief thaw in October 2024 when Jaishankar travelled to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of Government meeting.
After India launched Operation Sindoor in May to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Singh told Pakistan to hand over the dreaded terrorists operating from its soil.
In an interview with Israel's i24NEWS last month, Singh said that the 'new normal' is India's offensive strategy against terrorism.
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'The ceasefire is still holding on but we have made it very clear that Operation Sindoor is paused. It's not yet over,' the Indian Ambassador to Israel said, adding that the fight against terrorism will continue.
He pointed out that India has taken a new stance. 'We have set a new normal and the new normal is that we will follow an offensive strategy. Wherever terrorists are we have to kill those terrorists and we have to destroy their terrorist infrastructure.' Singh said that 'ceasefire is intact' for now.
He also called on Pakistan to hand over high-profile terrorists, including Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and Sajid Mir.
Singh talks from experience as he has overseen the fallout of the Pathankot and Uri terror attacks. When he was the Joint Secretary (IPA), India and Pakistan clashed over the 2019 Pulwama attacks. They suspended trade ties and recalled High Commissioners after the abrogation of Article 370. Singh also supervised discussions to build the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims, as per The Hindu.
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In Pakistan, Singh led the diplomatic rescue mission of Indian national Uzma Ahmed in 2017 after she was forced into a marriage at gunpoint. Netflix's movie The Diplomat revolves around the case, capturing Singh's skills while taking on a high-stakes mission.
With inputs from agencies
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