India Names First Non-Muslim Ambassador To Saudi Arabia

By Shakir Husain

HYDERABAD, June 3 (NNN) -- India has appointed its first non-Muslim ambassador to Saudi Arabia, breaking away from a long-standing diplomatic practice.

India's current ambassador to Qatar, Vipul, who uses a single name, has been appointed the next ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Tuesday.

"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the ministry said.

Vipul served as India's consul general in Dubai from 2017 to 2020 and as a joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from 2020 to 2023, before assuming his current position in Qatar.

He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1994 and holds a master's degree in business administration from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, according to his official profile.

Vipul will replace Suhel Ajaz Khan, who has served as New Delhi's ambassador to Riyadh since January 2023.

Saudi Arabia's status as the custodian of Islam's two holiest sites, coupled with India's Muslim population of more than 210 million, gives the work of Indian diplomatic missions in the kingdom significance beyond routine diplomatic engagement.

Traditionally, the Indian government has appointed a Muslim to oversee relations with Saudi Arabia, where the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is based.

Saudi Arabia hosts 2.7 million Indian expatriate workers and their family members, and receives a large number of umrah visitors and 175,000 haj pilgrims annually from India.

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