Senior diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), was on Thursday appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed. Patnaik, currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Spain, received the posting at a sensitive time in bilateral relations between New Delhi and Ottawa.
In September 2023, then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that New Delhi was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national designated by India as a Khalistani terrorist, an accusation strongly rejected by New Delhi. The row pushed India-Canada relations to a low point.
What further deepened the diplomatic rift was Ottawa’s expulsion of several Indian diplomats, including then High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma. This prompted a reciprocal action from India.
Who Is Dinesh K Patnaik?
Patnaik graduated from Delhi University in 1988 and went on to earn an MBA from IIM Calcutta. He later completed a Master’s in International Relations in Vienna.
In a career of over three decades, Patnaik has served in important roles both in India and overseas. His foreign postings include Geneva, Dhaka, Beijing, and Vienna, while at the MEA, he has worked in divisions dealing with Africa, Western Europe, the UN, and external publicity.
In addition to his current posting in Spain, Patnaik has also served as India’s Ambassador to Cambodia and Morocco.
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