Geetika Srivastava, currently serving as joint secretary at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), will be India's new chargé d'affaires at its high commission in Islamabad, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

She will succeed Suresh Kumar who is likely to return to New Delhi.

Srivastava, a 2005 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as a joint secretary in the MEA's Indo-Pacific division.

The Indian and Pakistani high commissions in Islamabad and Delhi are being headed by their respective charge d'affaires after Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties following India's decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.

Srivastava is expected to take up her assignment in Islamabad shortly, said one of the people familiar with the matter.

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