Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran arrives at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters to attend a meeting with the ministry's experts on the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in an English city this month, in Moscow on March 21, 2018


Pankaj Saran, the 1982 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, was in November 2015 appointed as the India’s envoy to Russia

Senior diplomat Pankaj Saran has been appointed as deputy National Security Adviser, the government said on Tuesday.

Saran is currently India’s Ambassador to Russia.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Saran’s appointment as the deputy NSA for a period of two years, on deputation basis initially till the date of his superannuation, i.e., November 30, 2018, then on re-employment on contract basis, an order issued by Personnel Ministry said.

The 1982 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) was in November 2015 appointed as the India’s envoy to Russia. He had held various positions in India and abroad including the country’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh. He also served as the joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office between 2007 and 2012.

Former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Ajit Doval is the National Security Adviser.