List of External Affairs Ministers India has seen

S Jaishankar is the second career diplomat after Natwar Singh to handle the key portfolio of External Affairs

Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar, a surprise pick in Narendra Modi's council of ministers, is a seasoned diplomat who was the Indian government's pointsman for China and the US.

NEW DELHI: S Jaishankar is the second career diplomat after Natwar Singh to handle the key portfolio of External Affairs. Jaishankar, son of the late K Subrahmanyam, one of India's leading strategic analysts, was a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal. The deal, initiated in 2005, took several years to craft, and was signed by the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh in 2007. Jaishankar's appointment as foreign secretary in January 2015 evoked a sharp reaction from various quarters over the timing of the government's decision to remove Sujatha Singh. He had earlier served as India's Ambassador to the US and before that to China. A 1977-batch IFS officer, Jaishankar played a key role in resolving the crisis following the incursion in Ladakh's Depsang and the Doklam stand-off, handling the tough negotiations with Beijing. Among other positions, Jaishankar has been India's High Commissioner to Singapore and Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Here is a list of those who have held the portfolio. 1. Sushma Swaraj (May 27, 2014--May 26, 2019) 2. Salman Khurshid (October 28, 2012--May 26, 2014) 3. S M Krishna (May 22, 2009--October 26, 2012) 4. Pranab Mukherjee (October 24, 2006--May 22, 2009) 5. Manmohan Singh (November 6, 2005--October 24, 2006) 6. K Natwar Singh (May 22, 2004--November 6, 2005) 7. Yashwant Sinha (July 1, 2002--May 22, 2004) 8. Jaswant Singh (December 5, 1998--June 23, 2002) 9. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (March 19, 1998--December 5, 1998) 10. I K Gujral (June 1, 1996--March 18, 1998) 11. Sikander Bakht (May 21, 1996--June 1, 1996) 12. Pranab Mukherjee (February 10, 1995--May 16, 1996) 13. Dinesh Singh (January 18, 1993--February 10, 1995) 14. P V Narasimha Rao (March 31, 1992--January 18, 1993) 15. Madhavsinh Solanki June 21, 1991--March 31, 1992) 16. Vidya Charan Shukla (November 21, 1990--February 20, 1991) 17. I K Gujral (December 5, 1989--November 10, 1990) 18. V P Singh (December 2, 1989--December 5, 1989) 19. P V Narasimha Rao (June 25, 1988--December 2, 1989) 20. Rajiv Gandhi (July 25, 1987--June 25, 1988) 21. N D Tiwari (October 22, 1986--July 25, 1987) 22. P Shiv Shankar (May 12, 1986--October 22, 1986) 23. Bali Ram Bhagat (September 25, 1985--May 12, 1986) 24. Rajiv Gandhi (October 31, 1984--September 24, 1985) 25. Indira Gandhi (July 19, 1984--October 31, 1984) 26. P V Narasimha Rao (January 14, 1980--July 19, 1984) 27. Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra (March 26, 1977--July 28, 1979) 28. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (March 26, 1977--July 28, 1979) 29. Yashwantrao Chavan (October 10, 1974--March 24, 1977) 30. Sardar Swaran Singh (June 27, 1970--October 10, 1974) 31. Dinesh Singh (February 14, 1969--June 27, 1970) 32. Indira Gandhi (September 6, 1967--February 13, 1969 33. M C Chagla (November 14, 1966--September 5, 1967) 34. Sardar Swaran Singh (July 18, 1964--November 14, 1966) 35. Lal Bahadur Shastri (June 9, 1964--July 17, 1964) 36. Gulzarilal Nanda (May 27, 1964--June 9, 1964) 37. Jawaharlal Nehru (September 2, 1946--May 27, 1964) (With inputs from PTI)