Top Pakistan envoy in India to get foreign secretary job, say reports

The Pakistani government might soon elevate its top envoy in India, Abdul Basit to the role of foreign secretary, PTI reported quoting The News.

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Basit is currently Pakistan's High Commissioner to India and has been the voice and face of that country's government in India.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been keeping the portfolio of foreign affairs under him and reportedly decided "in principle" to appoint him as the next foreign secretary, after consultations. This change was affected due to a change following the designation of current Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as Pakistan's ambassador to the US.

Basit, 58, is not only Pakistan's top envoy to India, but also the seniormost among the contenders for this post. The other contenders are: Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nation's Geneva Office Tehmina Janjua, its former Chief of Protocol and Ambassador to France Ghalib Iqbal, Islamabad's Ambassador to Denmark Masroor Junejo and Pakistan's High Commissioner for United Kingdom Syed Ibne Hasan.

Basit has been serving as the Pakistani High Commission to India since 2014. He has served as the ambassador to Germany and was also posted in Moscow, New York, Sana'a, Geneva and London. He has also held different assignments in Pakistan Missions Abroad and at the headquarters.

Basit invited the Indian media's ire when he shrugged off questions on the deaths of eight Indian soldiers during Pampore terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in July 2016. "Let's have the Iftar dinner party and enjoy ourselves," Basit had said when asked about the attack. This had evoked sharp response from India's Opposition parties. They also demanded that Basit be sent back to Pakistan.

The diplomat has courted controversy at other times, too, by making remarks that did not help in calming down the India-Pakistan tension. He has also been criticised in India over sending invitation to the Hurriyat Conference leaders over the Iftar dinner or Pakistan Day hosted by the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi every year.

India strongly maintains that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral matter between the governments of India and Pakistan and is against bringing a third party along for talks or for its resolution.