Geetika Srivastava, a 2005 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is appointed as the new Charge d’Affaires (CDA) in Islamabad, succeeding Dr M Suresh Kumar.

• Despite the downgraded status of diplomatic representation between India and Pakistan, this appointment marks a significant change as Srivastava will be the first woman to lead the Indian High Commission in Pakistan.
• Currently a Joint Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs, she has previously served in the Indian Embassy in China and as Director of the Indian Ocean Region division in the MEA.
• Her appointment comes after the withdrawal of the last Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad, Ajay Bisaria, following the downgrading of the High Commission by Pakistan in response to the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.