The transfer of an Indian diplomat from Saudi Arabia to New Delhi has evoked strong reactions among the Indian expatriate community as he was very popular among them.
India’s Consul General Mohammad Noor Rahman Sheikh has been transferred from Saudi Arabia to New Delhi. He was quite popular among the Indian blue collar workers as he addressed labour issues quite effectively, sources said.
Though Mohammad Noor joined the consulate in June 2016 but made a name for himself within a short span of time. He had successfully handled the Indian Haj operation.
Besides, he was quite instrumental in organising a series of mega events in western Saudi Arabia on the theme of ‘70 Years of Indian Independence’. He was involved with the Indian community in various flagship programmes of the Indian government, such as the ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Parivartan Parva’.
Commonly referred to as ‘mass diplomat’ in Saudi Arabia, he was easily accessible to the common man and has developed good rapport with all sections of the Indian community. He also promptly responded to the various issues raised on the social media.
The community members say that the government’s decision to transfer Sheikh came as a surprise to them.
Mohammad Noor is a career diplomat from the 2003 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) batch. He was appointed consul general in Jeddah in June 2016. Earlier he had worked as Haj consul in Jeddah and was then posted at India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. However, he came back to Jeddah as consul general after a short hiatus. Now he is returning to New Delhi before completing his Saudi tenure.