Islamabad: Career diplomat Moin-ul-Haq has been appointed as Pakistan’s new High Commissioner to India to start a new process of engagement with the country where a new government will be formed soon, amid strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier approved Monday appointments of over two dozen ambassadors in various countries including India, China and Japan.
Haq, in his mid-fifties is the current ambassador to France. He has previously served as chief of protocol at the Foreign Office. He joined Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1987 and was posted in countries like Turkey, Canada and Sri Lanka. The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan’s new foreign secretary in April.
The decision came after a detailed meeting with Khan, who formally approved the new appointments, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a video message Monday night.
Qureshi said, “New Delhi, India, is very important…After consultation I have decided to appoint Moin-ul-Haq, the current ambassador in France, who will be sent to Delhi, and I hope that he (Haq) will deliver.”
The relationship between the two neighbouring nations currently is at an all-time low after a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, February 14 that killed 40 soldiers.
Qureshi expressed hope that Haq would perform his new job with best of his abilities. “Since assuming the office in August last year, Prime Minister Khan repeatedly reached out to India for the resumption of peace talks on all outstanding issues. But India has made it clear to Pakistan that terrorism and dialogue will not go hand-in-hand,” said Qureshi.
PTI