India's ambassador to China, Shiv Shankar Menon, is all set to take over the highly coveted post of High Commissioner to Pakistan.Menon is believed to be a personal choice of Prime Minister Vajpayee, who is said to have been ‘‘very impressed’’ with the diplomat’s briefings to him not only on China, but also during his earlier stints as India’s top man in Sri Lanka and Israel.Mani Tripathi, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, a popular Consul-General in Karachi about a decade ago, was also considered for the sought after assignment.In contrast, Menon has little Pakistan experience, having been a China hand most of his life. Besides Sri Lanka and Israel, Menon has been the joint secretary of MEA’s Northern division which looks after Bhutan and Nepal. Menon will follow in the footsteps of Vijay Nambiar, who went from Beijing to Islamabad.
