Gopalaswami Parthasarathy (b. 13 May 1940) is a distinguished diplomat and author in India. He was a career Foreign Service Officer who retired from Service on 31 May 2000. Prior to his entry to the Indian Foreign Service Mr. Parthasarathy was a Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army (1963-1968), after having graduated with a B.E. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras, (now Chennai) in India in 1962. He has served as Ambassador of India to Myanmar, 1992-95, High Commissioner of India to Australia 1995-98, High Commissioner of India to Pakistan 1998-2000 and High Commissioner of India, Cyprus 1990-92.He has served as Spokesman, Ministry of External Affairs and Information Adviser and Spokesman in the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1985-90).
Mr. Parthasarathy is presently Visiting Professor in the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also a Senior Fellow and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and a member of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. His main areas of interest are developments in India’s neighbourhood and issues of economic integration, energy and national security and terrorism. He currently writes an influential column in The Pioneer and Rediff.com, mostly on foreign affairs. He served as a diplomat in Moscow, Dar es Salaam and Washington, and was Consul General in Karachi from 1982-1985.
He is popularly regarded as a "hawk" when it comes to matters of India's defence and policy towards Pakistan and terrorism. He co-authored a book with ex-Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Dr. Humayun Khan. The book, Diplomatic Divide, debates the issues that divide India and Pakistan.[1][2]