The new Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Y K Sinha, presented his credentials to President Mahinda Rajapaksa here on Wednesday. Later, he paid homage to fallen Indian soldiers at the memorial for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) on the outskirts of Colombo.
Sinha is a seasoned diplomat who, during his career of 32 years, has handled several important assignments in Indian missions and at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
Before coming to Sri Lanka, he was Additional Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) at the Ministry. He has also served as Ambassador in Venezuela, Consul General of India in Dubai, and has held key positions in Indian missions in New York, Islamabad, Rome, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
Sinha has taken charge of the Indian mission in Lanka at a critical time in India-Sri Lanka relations, when the Lankan government is trying to dilute the 13th Amendment (13A) of the Lankan constitution.
Meanwhile, the controversy over the 13A has resulted in the powerful Lankan minister, Basil Rajapaksa, journeying to New Delhi on Thursday to explain his government’s stand. In this regard, the Indian National Security Adviser, Shivshankar Menon, is also planning to come to Colombo to speak to him on July 9.
Besides the fate of the 13A, some ticklish issues in India-Lanka trade and investment will also be discussed at the Delhi parleys.