Riyadh: Senior diplomat Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan has been appointed as the next ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Indian ministry of external affairs announced on Thursday.
He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
From March 2022, the post was vacant after Ausaf Saeed was promoted as secretary, of overseas Indian affairs in the country’s Ministry of External Affairs.
N Ram Prasad, deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh was in charge instead.
About Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan
- Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan a 1997 batch IFS officer, is presently serving as Indian ambassador to Lebanon.
- Dr Khan’s first foreign assignment was to the Embassy of India, Cairo where between 1999-2001, apart from the other duties at the Embassy, he obtained an advanced diploma in the Arabic language from the American University, Cairo.
- He later served at the Indian Embassy in Damascus, handling administration, press and political affairs between 2002-2005.
- His next assignment was as Consul at the Consulate General of India, Jeddah between 2005-2008, where he was handling a number of issues including the Haj matters and Haj arrangements for the Indian pilgrims.
- Later, Dr Khan worked as Deputy Secretary in the WANA (West Asia North Africa) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs between 2008-2009 followed by a stint at the Indian High Commission, Islamabad between 2009-2011 where he handled Visa and Consular matters.
- Between 2011 and 2013 Dr Khan served as a director in the office of the Minister of State for External Affairs Mr E Ahamed.
- Between 2013 and 2017 he was part of the Indian delegations to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and the UNCOPUOS (United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) meetings.
- He was also the Head of the Indian Delegation to the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in December 2014 in Vienna.
- Dr Khan served as a member of the United Nations Pension Board in 2016 and 2017.
- Khan worked at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh between September 2017 and June 2019 as Deputy Chief of Mission.
- Khan arrived in Beirut on June 21, 2019.
- Dr Khan has a graduate degree in Medicine from M.G.M. Medical College in Indore, India. Dr Khan is married and his wife Rifat Jabeen Khan has long experience working in International and UN organizations. They have two daughters.
