Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty

Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty is a retired Indian diplomat and former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh.[1]

Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty
High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh
In office
January 2007 – December 2009
Preceded byVeena Sikri
Succeeded byRajeet Mitter
Ambassador of India to Thailand
In office
2010–2011
Preceded byLatha Reddy
Succeeded byAnil Wadhwa
Personal details
OccupationIndian Foreign Service

Career

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Chakravarty joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977.[2] He had served in diplomatic missions in London, Jeddah, and Cairo.[2] From 1994 to 1995, he was Consul-General of India in Karachi, Pakistan.[2]

Chakravarty was the Director of the 1995 SAARC Summit Secretariat.[2] From 1995 to 1999, Chakravarty was a Counsellor at the Indian Embassy in Israel.[2] He was the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Dhaka from 1999 to 2002.[2]

From 2002 to 2006, Chakravarty was the chief of protocol at the Ministry of External Affairs.[2] He was appointed Ambassador of India to the Philippines but quickly shifted to the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh in 2007.[2] He called for a redrawing of Bangladesh-India border to solve old issues such as enclaves.[3] He served till 2010 when he was appointed the Ambassador of India to Thailand.[2]

Chakravarty was appointed Special Secretary (Public Diplomacy) in 2011 and later he was made the Secretary of Economic Relations at the Ministry of External Affairs.[2] He retired from government service in 2011.[2]

Chakravarty cofounded thinktank DeepStrat, based in New Delhi.[4] He is a visiting fellow of the Observer Research Foundation.[5] He wrote Transformation- Emergence of Bangladesh and Evolution of India-Bangladesh Ties about Bangladesh-India relations.[6][7] In 2018, he wrote that popular anger against perceived corruption of Awami League meant India had to be ready to talk with Khaleda Zia and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[8]

On 28 March 2024, Chakravarty claimed the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter D. Haas, left the country following a strong warning from New Delhi to Washington DC about attempting regime change in Bangladesh.[9] He believes India should support the ruling Awami League while viewing Bangladesh Nationalist Party as anti-Hindu and anti-India.[9][10][11] Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department, denied his comments about Haas hiding during the general elections in Bangladesh.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Mature leadership in India and Bangladesh has not let minor disagreements threaten shared interests". The Indian Express. 2022-09-09. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty". orfonline.org. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  3. ^ "Time for new border". The Daily Star. 2009-12-19. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  4. ^ "Ambassador Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, IFS - Deepstrat". 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  5. ^ "Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty - Jaipur Literature Festival". Jaipur Literature Festival. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  6. ^ "Book Discussion: Transformation- Emergence of Bangladesh and Evolution of India-Bangladesh Ties". orfonline.org. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  7. ^ Mukharji, Shantanu (2024-04-27). "An insider's chronicle". www.millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  8. ^ "India must continue to support Hasina, but should not write off Khaleda Zia". Hindustan Times. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b Islam, M Serajul (23 April 2024). "Unbecoming comments of ex-Indian high commissioner". New age. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  10. ^ Chakravarty, Pinak Ranjan (2024-01-07). "In Bangladesh, a Raging 'One-Woman' Show Against US' Selective Strategy". TheQuint. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  11. ^ "Bangladesh's growing Islamist violence and how it can destroy the country". orfonline.org. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  12. ^ "US denies 'Peter Haas' hiding' during Bangladesh election". New Age. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.