Dalbir Suhag appointed Indian envoy to Seychelles

Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who headed the Indian Army during the September 2016 surgical strike on terror camps across the Line of Control, will be India's High Commissioner to Seychelles.

“Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag (rtd) has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Seychelles. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The choice is interesting, considering that one of his immediate bosses would be Gen V K Singh (rtd) – another former Army chief who is now the Minister of State for External Affairs – with whom Suhag had a constant run-in during his career.

Gen VK imposed a disciplinary and vigilance ban on Suhag when he was a Lieutenant General. The objective reportedly was to scuttle his chances of becoming the next Army chief.

The ban on Lt Gen Suhag was removed by Gen Bikram Singh, who succeeded Gen VK.

Syechelles is strategically important to India as New Delhi plans to build its first naval base in the Indian Ocean region on the African island. In June last year, India handed over a second Dornier aircraft to Seychelles in the presence of Gen VK and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Even though the bilateral relations entered a turbulent phase last year due to Seychelles's reluctance in developing its Assumption island as an Indian naval base, the two sides later agreed to work on the naval base project.

Post retirement, Suhag hit headlines when he hosted BJP president Amit Shah during his “Sampark for Samarthan” campaign in May 2018. Suhag's home was the first stop for Shah, who went on to meet hundreds of others all over the country.

In recent years, several retired chiefs like Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, Admiral Nirmal Verma and Admiral Sureesh Mehta were appointed as Indian Ambassadors or High Commissioners after their retirement.