Geetika Srivastava becomes first woman to lead Indian mission in Pakistan | Oneindia News - video Dailymotion

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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. With this, Geetika Srivastava has become the first woman to head India's mission in Pakistan.    #GeetikaSrivastava #IndianAmbassadorToPakistan #IndiaPakistan #IFSGeetikaSrivastava #IndianEmbassyInPakistan                 ~PR.152~ED.194~HT.178~

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00:00 Geetika Srivastava, currently serving as Joint Secretary at the headquarters of the MEA,

00:05 will be India's new charge d'affaires at its High Commission in Islamabad.

00:10 With this, Geetika Srivastava has become the first woman to hit India's mission in Pakistan.

00:15 She will succeed Dr M Suresh Kumar, who is likely to return to New Delhi.

00:19 Srivastava, a 2005 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as a Joint Secretary

00:25 in the MEA's Indo-Pacific Division.

00:28 The Indian and Pakistani High Commissions in Islamabad and Delhi are being headed by

00:31 the respective charge d'affaires after Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties following India's

00:36 decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.

00:40 Srivastava is expected to take up her assignment in Islamabad shortly.

00:44 Geetika is currently handling the Indo-Pacific Division in MEA.

00:48 From 2007 to 2009, Geetika served in the Indian Embassy in China where she mastered Mandarin

00:53 language.

00:54 She has also had stints at the Regional Passport Office in Kolkata and has been the Director

00:58 of the Indian Ocean Region Division in the Foreign Ministry.

01:02 Diplomatic missions between Commonwealth countries are called High Commissions, while those between

01:06 non-Commonwealth countries are called Embassies.

01:09 The Indian and Pakistani missions in Islamabad and New Delhi have been without High Commissioners

01:13 since August 2019 and are being headed by the respective charge d'affaires.

01:17 Ajay Bisaria was the last Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad before Pakistan downgraded the

01:21 status of the High Commission following the abrogation of Article 370.

01:25 Since 1947, when late Sri Prakasa took charge as India's High Commissioner in Pakistan,

01:30 there have been 22 heads of the mission.

01:32 Ms Srivastava, a 2005 Indian Foreign Service Officer, will become the first woman in the

01:36 role.

01:37 She served in the Indian High Commission in China from 2007 to 2009 and has also post

01:40 stints at the Regional Passport Office in Kolkata and as Director of the Indian Ocean

01:44 Region Division in the External Affairs Ministry.

01:47 Women diplomats from India have served in Pakistan previously but not in top positions

01:50 such as this.

01:51 Additionally, the role of a High Commissioner in Pakistan, besides the rigours of international

01:56 diplomacy, especially between the two countries that have been at loggerheads since 1947,

02:00 comes with its unique set of challenges.

02:02 Islamabad was designated a non-family posting for Indian diplomats a few years ago, which

02:06 plays a role in limiting women officers from taking up the role.

02:10 Meanwhile, Pakistan has also appointed a new charge d'affaires, Saad Ahmed Varaij, in New

02:14 Delhi.

02:15 Saad is a career diplomat who served at Pakistan's permanent mission to the United Nations in

02:18 New York.

02:19 He will succeed Salman Sharif, who returned to Pakistan in July.

02:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Geetika Srivastava becomes first woman to lead Indian mission in Pakistan | Oneindia News

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