Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi.

As one of the Ministry of External Affairs’ foremost experts on China, his most recent ambassadorial role was in Beijing.

In January 2022, he was appointed to the National Security Council Secretariat.

Misri, 59, is believed to have played a key role in talks between India and China after tensions flared significantly following the 2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh and the subsequent Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese forces.

Born in Srinagar in 1964, Misri completed his early education in Gwalior.

He holds an undergraduate degree in history from Hindu College, Delhi University, and an MBA from XLRI.

Misri began his diplomatic career in the Indian Foreign Service as part of the 1989 batch.

In his early years, he served at Indian missions in Brussels and Tunis.

In his illustrious career, Misri also served as India’s ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018) besides having stints in many Indian missions including Pakistan, the US, Germany, Belgium, and Sri Lanka.

Over the years, Misri went on to earn a reputation as the China expert.

His last ambassadorial posting was in Beijing from January 2019 to December 2021 (during the Galwan Valley clashes).

Misri took up his current role in the National Security Council Secretariat in January 2022, where he reported to NSA Ajit Doval.

India’s ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, is expected to be appointed the deputy NSA, according to a PTI report.

Additionally, the government will also have to appoint India’s envoy to the US and New Delhi’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

The permanent representative of India to the United Nations (UN) position became vacant after Ruchira Kamboj, the first woman to hold the post, retired earlier this month.