ISLAMABAD: Dr TCA Raghavan has been appointed as the new Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and is expected to take office by the end of June.

According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Raghavan is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

A senior diplomat of the Indian High Commission told Dawn.com that the current High Commissioner, Sharat Sabharwal, will retire on June 30.

This will be the first high profile diplomatic transition in Islamabad after the formation of the new PML-N-led federal government in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly extended peace overtures to India, promising to usher a new era of friendly relations with the neighbouring country.

India and Pakistan have witnessed a slump in diplomatic relations since the 2008 Mumbai attacks fracture bilateral ties. The outgoing Indian High Commissioner is also known to have maintained a low profile throughout his stay in Islamabad.

Raghavan, who has previously served as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad from 2003 to 2007, is known as a diplomat with a thorough understanding of Pakistan’s political dynamics.

A well-respected career diplomat, Raghavan has previously served on key diplomatic assignments in Pakistan, United Kingdom, Bhutan, and Kuwait since he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1982. He is currently serving as India’s Higher Commissioner to Singapore.

Raghavan is a graduate from the University of Delhi, with a Post Graduation in History and PhD in Modern Indian History from Jawaharlal Nehru University.