Mallik to be new Pak envoy to India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has termed as speculative reports in the media here that it has decided to appoint its current High Commissioner to Canada Shahid Malik as the new envoy to India.

Mallik's name has been approved by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the Pakistan government would shortly approach India, local daily Dawn quoted officials as saying.

However, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that it is all speculation and no final decision has been taken yet.

The term of the current High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan, who took over in June 2003, ends this month. He would continue till Malik gets the green signal from New Delhi, the newspaper reported. "The whole process could take a month or so," the officials said.

They also said that Pakistan has nominated a woman diplomat to replace Syed Muhammad Rafique Ahmed, the political consular expelled by India on August 5 in retaliation to Pakistan's expulsion of Visa Counsellor in the Indian High Commission, Deepak Kaul.

Riffat Masood, Director, SAARC at the foreign ministry, will be posted as counsellor (political) at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and she is expected to proceed to India next month, they said.