Logo

Virendra Gupta is a serving career diplomat from the Indian foreign Service and has served abroad in Indian Missions in Nepal, Nigeria, Israel and Egypt, in various capacities.  He has also served in the Indian Mission to the United Nations, where he served as Rapporteur of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.  He has also been Deputy Secretary (UN) and Director (Disarmament) as the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.  He has been India’s High Commissioner to Tanzania and Trinidad and Tabago.  He is currently the Deputy Director of IDSA on deputation from MEA and writes regularly for newspapers on issues concerning South Asia. 

Alok Bansal is Research Fellow with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi.  A Commander in the Indian Navy, he was commissioned in 1982 and has held various appointments, which include command of two warships.  He has been a Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College.  He holds M Sc and M. Phil degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras and is pursuing doctoral studies with the School for International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  He specializes in security issues in the south Asia.  His research interests include Internal Disorders in Pakistan, Maldives’ Transition to Democracy, Indian Diaspora and India’s maritime interests.