Dr. K Srikar Reddy, a senior diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service, has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the State of Qatar. He will succeed Vipul, a 1998-batch IFS officer who has been reassigned as India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The appointment comes at a time when India and Qatar are deepening their engagement across trade, energy, defence, and people-to-people ties under a strategic partnership framework established in early 2025.
Dr. K Srikar Reddy: Career and Background
Dr. Reddy is a 2001-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Before joining the IFS, he earned an MBBS degree from Kakatiya Medical College in Warangal, Telangana, making him one of the few medical professionals in the Indian diplomatic corps. He speaks Telugu, Hindi, English, and German.
His diplomatic career includes postings at Indian missions in Germany, Switzerland, and Vietnam, as well as at India’s Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, where he served as Counsellor from August 2014 to October 2017. He also served at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, handling India’s relations with Pakistan and the East and Southern Africa region.
Between 2011 and 2014, Dr. Reddy served as Regional Passport Officer in Hyderabad, where he led reforms in passport service delivery in the then undivided state of Andhra Pradesh. For this work, he was awarded the Passport Seva Puraskar (Best Passport Officer) in June 2013.
Before his current posting, Dr. Reddy was Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, where he oversaw India’s commercial relations with Africa and the Middle East. He served as India’s Chief Negotiator for the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which entered into force on 1 May 2022, and the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA). He also led negotiations on proposed free trade agreements with the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
At the time of his appointment, Dr. Reddy was serving as India’s Consul General in San Francisco, a key diplomatic post overseeing India’s interests in the US technology and innovation hub.
India-Qatar Relations: A Strategic Partnership
India and Qatar established diplomatic relations in 1973, and the year 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of this relationship. Ties between the two countries were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in February 2025, during the State Visit of Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, to India.
Trade and Energy Ties
Qatar is a critical economic partner for India. In FY 2025-26, bilateral trade stood at USD 13.91 billion, with India’s imports from Qatar accounting for USD 12.29 billion and exports at USD 1.62 billion. The two sides have set a target to double bilateral trade by 2030 and are exploring a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Energy remains the cornerstone of the relationship. Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, supplying 10.86 million metric tonnes worth USD 5.61 billion in FY 2025-26. It is also India’s largest LPG supplier. Hydrocarbon trade makes up nearly 78% of total bilateral trade. In 2024, QatarEnergy and PetronetLNG signed a 20-year deal for the supply of 7.5 MMTPA of LNG starting from 2028. Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation also signed a 17-year agreement in October 2025 for 1 MMTPA of LNG.
| Item | FY 2022-23 | FY 2023-24 | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Bilateral Trade | USD 18.77 B | USD 14.08 B | USD 14.14 B | USD 13.91 B |
| Hydrocarbon Trade | USD 14.79 B | USD 11.01 B | USD 11.13 B | USD 10.81 B |
| Hydrocarbon Share | 78.86% | 78.31% | 78.71% | 77.71% |
Investments and Defence Cooperation
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has committed to increasing its investments in India to USD 10 billion and plans to open an office in India. QIA has already made significant investments in Indian companies including Reliance Retail, Adani Transmission, Allen Career Institute, and Shriram Housing Finance.
On the defence front, India and Qatar signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement in November 2008. The two navies have conducted bilateral maritime exercises, including Za’ir Al Bahr (Roar of the Sea). Indian naval ships also transported Liquid Medical Oxygen containers through Qatari ports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indian Diaspora in Qatar
Qatar is home to around 8.3 lakh (830,000) Indian nationals, making Indians the largest expatriate community in the country. According to MEA data, this figure stood at 830,491 as of January 2026, representing about 22% of Qatar’s total population.
The community includes a wide spectrum of professionals including doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, and IT experts, as well as a large number of blue-collar workers. Over 20,000 Indian companies operate in Qatar, spanning sectors such as retail, hospitality, construction, IT, and energy. Major Indian firms with a presence in Qatar include L&T, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, and Lulu Group.
There are about 60,000 Indian students enrolled in 19 Indian schools across Qatar. Milestone International Education, in collaboration with Savitribai Phule Pune University, operates a campus in Doha offering graduate and post-graduate courses to around 400 students.
Dr. Reddy’s appointment is also notable for the Telangana connection. He will become the second person from Telangana to serve as India’s Ambassador to Qatar, after the late Prof. Dorai Bashiruddin, who headed the mission from 1983 to 1986. A significant number of Indians in Qatar come from the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh regions.
Key Takeaways
- Dr. K Srikar Reddy (IFS: 2001) has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to Qatar, succeeding Vipul who has been reassigned to Saudi Arabia.
- Dr. Reddy holds an MBBS degree from Kakatiya Medical College and served as India’s Chief Negotiator for the India-UAE CEPA.
- India and Qatar established diplomatic relations in 1973 and elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership in February 2025.
- Bilateral trade stood at USD 13.91 billion in FY 2025-26, with a target to double it by 2030.
- Qatar is India’s largest LNG supplier, with 10.86 MMT of LNG supplied in FY 2025-26 under long-term contracts.
- Around 830,000 Indians live in Qatar, making them the largest expatriate community in the country, with over 20,000 Indian companies operating there.
