Sadaf Choudhary’s Jeddah posting reflects India’s support for Saudi reforms

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms have opened new avenues for women in diplomacy, and India has responded by appointing women diplomats to key roles in the Gulf. Sadaf Chaudhary, a 2021 batch IFS officer, now heads the Haj section in Jeddah, managing arrangements for 1.75 lakh Indian pilgrims annually.

By Irfan Mohammed

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia in recent years has made significant strides in empowering women as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, which aims to enhance their position and ensure equal opportunities. With changing gender dynamics, even the traditional space of diplomacy is being reshaped.

India has aligned with these changes by posting women diplomats to key assignments in the Kingdom. The latest is Sadaf Choudhary, who has been appointed to a crucial position in the Indian Mission in Jeddah.

A career diplomat of the 2021 batch, Choudhary has been posted to the Haj section and assumed charge immediately, holding bilateral meetings with her Saudi counterparts to prepare for the pilgrimage season.

She is responsible for managing arrangements for around 1.75 lakh Indian Haj pilgrims every year. India sends the largest number of Haj pilgrims outside the Arab world and ranks third globally. The present quota is based on the 2011 census and New Delhi is seeking to raise it to 2.5 lakh in line with population growth.

Managing Indian pilgrims is a complex task, as they come from across the country with diverse languages, cultures and food habits. Ensuring logistics, compliance with Saudi regulations and coordination with local authorities, while also addressing complaints ranging from food quality to transport delays and sanitation, makes the assignment both demanding and high-profile.

The role draws attention from district administrations to the Prime Minister’s Office, making it as challenging as it is important. Choudhary, who hails from a small village in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, secured 23rd rank in the UPSC examination. Though eligible for the IAS, she chose the Indian Foreign Service.

India has also strengthened its diplomatic presence in the region with the appointment of Paramita Tripathi of the 2001 batch as its first woman Ambassador to Kuwait, while Deepa Wadhwa earlier served as India’s first woman envoy to Qatar.