Menon takes over as Indian Foreign Secretary

NEW DELHI—Seasoned diplomat and Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Shiv Shankar Menon on Sunday took over as a new Foreign Secretary.
Outgoing Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran has been appointed as Special Envoy for negotiations relating to the Indo-US nuke agreement after his retirement.
The 1972-batch officer Shivshankar Menon, who will have a tenure of about three years, supersedes 15 senior IFS officers of two batches, said Indian media reports. Prior to his posting to Pakistan three years ago, the 57-year-old diplomat was India's envoy to China. He has also served in Japan, Israel, Austria and Sri Lanka. He had a stint in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) as an Advisor.
In the new assignment, one of the critical tasks for Menon will be to ensure completion of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and its implementation, added the reports.
Revival of the intensity of the Indo-Pak dialogue process, which has witnessed a virtual chill since the July 11 Mumbai blasts, will also be a major challenge to the new Foreign Secretary.
Among the IFS officers Menon superseded are Shashi U.Tripathi, Secretary (West) and Rajiv Sikri, Secretary (East), Veena Sikri, High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and T C A Rangachari, Ambassador to France.
Rajiv Sikri, his wife Veena Sikri and Rangachari have already sought voluntary retirement to protest over being superseded, said the reports adding, some more are likely to follow suit.
Shyam Saran has been closely involved with the Indo-US nuclear agreement as key interlocutor and will continue to handle it most likely till next year by which time, the report said it is expected to complete its process.—Agencies