Our man in Delhi: Abdul Basit tipped to become envoy to India

Was earlier named as foreign secretary until a change of heart brought Aizaz Ahmad forward.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s current Ambassador to Germany Abdul Basit is likely to be appointed as high commissioner to India, officials have said here.

Although the foreign office did not officially confirm his appointment, sources told The Express Tribune that Basit’s name has been finalised for one of the most important diplomatic assignments.

A formal notification for his appointment is expected today (Friday), sources added.

Basit, who is a career diplomat, was to become the country’s foreign secretary but the government reversed its decision and instead appointed Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry to the top slot.

Similarly, the government had also withdrawn its earlier nominee Syed Ibne Abbas, who was picked for the slot of Pakistan’s high commissioner to India.



The bizarre situation is attributed to a reported power struggle between Prime Minister’s Adviser to National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and PM’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.

Sources familiar with behind-the-scene tug of war said Aziz apparently succeeded in reversing the key appointment of Abdul Basit as foreign secretary.

Basit will now succeed Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Salman Bashir.

He is taking up the new assignment at a time when the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is seeking a rapprochement with India.

Recently, Prime Minister Nawaz’s younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shabhaz Sharif travelled to New Delhi as part of efforts seeking normalisation of ties with neighbouring India.

As a result of those efforts, Islamabad and New Delhi finally agreed to allow their directors general of military operations to meet next week in Pakistan for devising a plan to prevent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.