ISLAMABAD: There has been a change of guard at the Indian High Commission, Islamabad, at the highest level after nearly three years, with New Delhi appointing Dr Satyanjal Pandey to be India’s top diplomat to Pakistan as Charge d’Affaires.
He is currently India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and is paying his final farewell calls, after holding his position since August 2023.
Dr Pandey, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 2008 batch, will be replacing Ms Geetika Srivastava who, while taking up charge in Islamabad in August 2023, became the first woman to head India’s High Commission in Pakistan since Independence.
Pakistan and India have maintained significantly downgraded diplomatic relations since 2019, when Pakistan expelled the Indian high commissioner and recalled its own in protest after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The missions in Islamabad and New Delhi have since been led by mid-level diplomats at the Chargé d’Affaires level.
The High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi operates with a diplomatic strength of about 80 to 90 personnel (which includes both diplomats and support staff) and is headed by Charge d’ Affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich.
Both India and Pakistan mutually cap the total personnel at their respective high commissions at 110 staff members.
