Pak appoints Abdul Basit as high commissioner to India

December 19, 2013 16:54

Pakistan today appointed careerdiplomat Abdul Basit as its new High Commissioner to India.

Basit, 55, was earlier tipped to take over as ForeignSecretary but the government recently made several changes inproposed appointments.

The government initially zeroed in on Syed Ibne Abbas asthe new envoy to New Delhi but changed its mind as officialsfelt he was too junior for the crucial posting.

Though the government decided on Basit, a former ForeignOffice spokesman, nearly 10 days ago, a formal notificationwas issued only today, official sources said.

Basit will take over in New Delhi from former Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir at a time when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is pushing for better ties with India.

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