Envoy to China likely for Islamabad post

New Delhi is believed to have officially communicated the name of its new High Commissioner to Islamabad, though a formal announcement is still awaited until Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announces his nominee in parliament today.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office indicated that Shiv Shankar Menon, currently the ambassador in Beijing, has been chosen as the new High Commissioner to Pakistan.

His name was cleared after an informal meeting of senior ministers that followed the meeting of the federal Cabinet held at Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence on Tuesday night.

Sources said that the announcement of Menon's name has been withheld since Delhi is awaiting a similar communiqué from Islamabad about its new High Commissioner to India, who is likely to be a long standing India hand, sources in Pakistan said.

Pakistan's deputy high commissioner has been informed of India's choice, a source said.

Besides Menon, described earlier as the "strongest contender", the names of K.C. Singh, currently ambassador to the UAE, and India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mani Tripathi were also discussed.

A source said that since Singh has already been named as the new ambassador to Iran and New Delhi attaches great significance to strong ties with Tehran in view of developments in Iraq, his name was dropped from consideration.

Foreign Secretary Kanwar Sibal has told a private television channel that while the name of the new High Commission will be announced very soon, it may take up to seven weeks before the envoy can take over charge of the Indian High Commission.

Establishing full-fledged diplomatic ties are seen as a prerequisite to normalisation of strained relations between the two neighbours.

Sources said that Vajpayee personally opted for Menon over Tripathi, since he has worked in Pakistan in the past. Vajpayee was reportedly "very impressed" with Menon's work.

Prior to being posted in Beijing, Menon had served in Sri Lanka and Israel. He was ambassador in Sri Lanka when Vajpayee bonded with erstwhile Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Saarc summit in Colombo.

The last Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar, who was recalled in January last year after terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001, was also posted in Beijing before he was sent to Islamabad.