India's high commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale has been moved to China after return of Vijay Gokhale. India's ambassador to Poland Ajay Bisaria is to be fill-in Bambawale's shoes in Pakistan, confirmed a Times of India report.
As Outlook first reported in August, the return of Vijay Gokhale, India’s ambassador to China, has sparked speculation about the reshuffle. In Outlook magazine’s regular column on essential buzz, Deep Throat, “it was predicted that Gokhale will soon be secretary (economic relations). India’s high commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale may be the new man in China, while Ajay Besaria may be sent to Islamabad.”
Gokhale is said to have played key role in defusing Doklam standoff between the two nations. He had been in regular touch with the Chinese leadership to try and probe if the situation could be brought under control by cutting down on rhetoric and finding a diplomatic solution.
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A 1984 batch IFS officer, Bambawale has served as joint secretary of East Asia division where he handled both China and Japan. He, in fact, was one of the longest serving joint secretaries there with his tenure lasting from 2009 to 2014, said the TOI report.
The rejig at such higher level also gives rise to speculations whether there will be a new foreign secretary by the end-January 2018 when S.Jaishankar's term is slated to end?
Or will he get another extension until the end of PM Modi’s term. Some speculate that Gokhale may well be the next FS, while Jaishankar aims for something bigger. Will there be a seismic shift in South Block?
