Ambassador to nowhere

For more than two years, India has had a Special Adviser to its embassy in Washington as well to its Permanent Mission to the UN in New York...

For more than two years, India has had a Special Adviser to its embassy in Washington as well to its Permanent Mission to the UN in New York in the rank of Ambassador-at-Large.

Much can be learnt about him from his official website, which announced the welcome function organised by him for Prime Minister Vajpayee on Sunday evening as a 8220;upcoming workshop8221;, presumably in fulfilment of his mandate.

This mandate, duly inscribed below the imposing Ashoka pillar on the website, proudly announces that his appointment was made to 8220;strategically promote better coordination8221; within the NRI Non Resident Indian and PIO People of Indian Origin community across the world, and investment and commerce by that community with India.

Unfortunately, the colourful site informs the reader ad nauseam about Agnihotri8217;s statements, his achievements, the functions he has presided over as chief guest, and so on, but reveals little about the diaspora of 22 million Indian NRI/PIO. We are also left guessing about his activities in Asia or Africa. The institution of the Ambassador-at-Large also raises many basic questions.

Governments appoint special envoys and/or ambassadors-at-large for specific tasks to provide an additional channel of consultation. To that extent there is nothing wrong in New Delhi appointing one. But this is where the analogy ends. The role of special ambassadors is normally in relation to other governments, and they certainly operate within the ambit of inter-governmental diplomatic/political institutions. They also normally function from national capitals. People appointed to such assignments are normally experts in their field as political leaders or former diplomats.

If we needed a lobbyist in the US to maximise the role of Indian-American community, then we might as well have hired someone to do the task professionally instead of making a mockery of the nation at home and abroad. To have three ambassadors in one country is hardly a neat way of pursuing foreign policy interests.

In particular, it is not clear what Agnihotri is to advise our permanent mission at UN on, since the UN itself is an inter-governmental institution. In any case, the high double ambassadorial rank is hardly needed to carry out the tasks spelt out in the mandate. The only major activity apparently organised by the office of the Ambassador-at-Large since the inception of the post in New York, concerns organising mammoth receptions for the prime minister when he comes a-visiting.

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This task can easily be handled by the official ambassador or by members of the Indian community, as is the normal custom. An audit of the activities of the Ambassador-at-Large over the last two years clearly indicates that the tasks undertaken by him can easily be performed 8212; more efficiently and at a lower cost 8212; through the simple expedient of posting a third secretary at our embassy.