Sohail Mahmood, a career diplomat, is reportedly all set to replace Abdul Basit as the new Pakistan High Commissioner to India. Mahmood is presently Pakistan's ambassador to Turkey and is likely to replace Basit this month.
According to reports, the Pakistan government has approved Mahmood's appointment. Basit is likely to be appointed as the head of the Foreign Service Academy (FSA) in Islamabad, India Today reported. Basit was the country's High Commissioner to India for three years.
Mahmood had joined Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1985 after which he served as Pakistan's High Commissioner to Turkey from 1991 to 1994 for the first time.
Career diplomat Sohail Mahmood will be #Pakistan's new High Commissioner to #India: Sources.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 8, 2017
Mahmood has, since then, served in several missions abroad. He was also Pakistan's Ambassador to Thailand from 2009 to 2013. However, Mahmood has never served in India and has never played an active role in the country's policy on India.
Mahmood's appointment comes amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan over mutilation of Indian Army soldiers and death penalty given to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan.
