Aftab Hasan to be acting HC in India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s acting High Commissioner in India Syed Haider Shah will move to Kathmandu as country’s new ambassador for that Himalayan state.

Shah in his ambassadorial assignment will be replacing Dr Mazhar Javed who has been appointed Pakistan’s High Commissioner for South Africa. The incumbent envoy in Pretoria Dr Sohail Khan will be relinquishing the slot in South African capital next quarter upon his attaining superannuation.

Well placed diplomatic sources told The News here Friday that Pakistan High Commission’s Minister Political in New Delhi Aftab Hasan Khan is being elevated as acting High Commissioner till the replacement of Haider Shah and it is likely that Aftab Hasan Khan would continue till the improvement of ties of the two countries as currently the High Commissions of Pakistan and India are headless in the two capitals.

The sources said that Pakistan’s High Commissioner for the United Kingdom Nafis Zikaria has been given three months extension in the service of the Foreign Office who stood retired in the second week of this month.

He has been given top grade (Grade 22) earlier this month when he was technically retired a day before of that.

He is in grade 21 but his promotion would be actualized through special rules and it is likely that the day he will return home to step out of the service, he would be provided the required facilitation.

Chief of Protocol State of Pakistan Murad Ashraf Janjua has been posted country’s High Commissioner in Wellington for New Zealand replacing Dr. Abdul Malik who is retiring in a couple of months.

Murad Ashraf Janjua yet another perceptive diplomat would be proceeding for his first ambassadorial posting out of the region who had earlier served in important capitals including Ankara.