Basit returns to Islamabad after India tenure

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New Delhi, August 2: Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit Wednesday left for Islamabad after completing his turbulent three-year term that saw bilateral ties sink to a new low.
Basit, who took premature retirement after he was bypassed for the post of Foreign Secretary and envoy to Washington, left the Indian capital in the afternoon. His request for early retirement was approved by then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif late in July.
Basit was among the top contenders for the Foreign Secretary slot when the then top Pakistani diplomat Aizaz Chaudhry was appointed the country’s Ambassador in Washington. However, the post was handed to then UN envoy in Geneva Tehmina Janjua.
A career diplomat, Sohail Mahmood, 55, will replace Basit in mid August. Mehmood’s appointment comes at a time when the official dialogue between the two countries has been stalled due to India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism.