Sunday, February 27 2005 13:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Jalil Abbas Jilani, Pakistan's former acting High Commissioner to India, has been appointed as the spokesman of the Foreign Office in Islamabad to succeed Masood Khan, who will take over as the country's Permanent Representative to the UN mission in Geneva.

Jilani will take charge as Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman from March 1, Khan, the current spokesman, said in Islamabad, adding an official announcement in this regard would be made tomorrow (Feb 28, 2005).

Jilani, considered a specialist in Indo-Pak and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC)-related policies, is currently the Director General, South Asia.

The soft-spoken diplomat has been part of almost all Pakistani official delegations that held talks with India since the peace process initiated in 2003.

Jilani shot into prominence when he was declared persona non-grata by India towards the end of 2002, charging him with giving money to an activist of Hurriyat Conference while he was the Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan in New Delhi.

He had served in New Delhi as Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner for over four years and took over as the Acting High Commissioner after the two countries withdrew the High Commissioners during the diplomatic and military tension following attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001.