ISLAMABAD: Geetika Srivastava has been posted as the first female charge d’affaires at the Indian High Commission in Pakistan.
Adding to the ranks of the “Female Diplomatic Club,” Srivastava’s appointment follows closely after the first woman high commissioner for Great Britain was posted to Pakistan.
Srivastava is anticipated to assume her responsibilities shortly after the current CdA, Dr Suresh Kumar, concludes his term and returns to New Delhi to take on a new role there.
Since the downturn in bilateral relations between the two neighboring nations in 2019, there has been no permanent high commissioner stationed in either Islamabad or New Delhi. Instead, junior diplomats have been appointed as chargé d’affaires.
The previous Indian high commissioner in Islamabad was Ajay Bisaria, who was expelled in 2019 following Pakistan’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties in response to New Delhi’s unilateral and illegal alteration of the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Several former Indian high commissioners who served in Islamabad were subsequently promoted to the position of foreign secretary.
Geetika Srivastava member of Indian foreign service
Meanwhile, Geetika Srivastava, a member of the 2005 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, has held various previous assignments, including a posting in China. She is proficient in speaking Mandarin Chinese. Originating from Uttar Pradesh, she has also served as the Regional Passport Officer in Kolkata and Director in the IOR Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Currently, Srivastava serves as a Joint Secretary overseeing the Indo-Pacific Division at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
However, this division is responsible for India’s multilateral diplomacy with ASEAN, IORA, FIPIC, and other entities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Diplomatic insiders have confirmed that Saad Warraich, presently the Director General for Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nominated as Pakistan’s CdA to India, has recently applied for an Indian visa. The Foreign Office spokesperson commented that Saad Warraich will assume his assignment in due course.
