T S Tirumurtii to be appointed as India's new envoy to United Nations

T S Tirumurti, currently Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs, will succeed Syed Akbaruddin as India’s envoy to the United Nations.

Tirumurti, an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1985 batch, will take over from Akbaruddin, who is set to retire soon, sources in New Delhi said. He earlier served as India’s deputy envoy to Indonesia and High Commissioner to Malaysia before being appointed as Secretary (Economic Relations) at the MEA headquarters in February 2018.

Akbaruddin took over as India’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York in January 2016. His stellar stint as New Delhi’s envoy to the UN saw New Delhi succeeding to get the Security Council imposing sanctions on terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed’s leader Masood Azhar despite roadblocks created by China.

He also took a lead role in foiling Pakistan’s bid to embarrass India by bringing the issue of Jammu and Kashmir back on the table of the security council – particularly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on August 5 last year stripped the state of its special status and reorganised it into two Union Territories.

Tirumurti earlier headed the MEA division that manages India’s relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar as well as the division that oversees India’s engagements with the United Nations on economic and social issues.

His stint as New Delhi’s envoy to the UN is going to be important as India is likely to be elected to a non-permanent seat at the security council for a two-year term from January 2021 to December 2022.