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Ajay Bisaria to replace Gautam Bambawale as new Indian HC to Pak

By Web Desk
September 17, 2017

NEW DEHLI: India has appointed Ajay Bisaria as new High Commissioner to Pakistan, replacing Gautam Bambawale, Indian media reported Sunday.

Reportedly, Bambawale is being appointed as India’s new ambassador in Beijing after working nearly two years in Islamabad.

Incoming HC Bisaria has formerly served as the Ambassador to Poland and holds a degree in public policy. Sources said the new high commissioner will assume his responsibilities in October.

According to Indian media reports, the reason behind the high-level diplomatic shuffle came as former Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale was made Secretary Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs.

During Bambawale’s tenure, the relationship between Pakistan and India remained affected, with the most notable scenario being the Pakistan forces getting hold of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan.

According to News18, Bambawale joins a short list of envoys who have served both in China and Pakistan. This puts him in a unique position where two or three years from now he gets to be in contention to be the next foreign secretary.

The only other foreign services officer in recent times who has served in China and Pakistan —two of the toughest diplomatic assignments for New Dehli— is Shiv Shankar Menon who went on to become foreign secretary and later the National Security Advisor.