Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah welcomes Jaishankar's appointment as Foreign Secretary

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has welcomed the appointment of S Jaishankar as Foreign Secretary, calling it an "excellent" decision.

"If the reports about Indian Ambassador to US Jaishankar being appointed Foreign Secretary are correct it's an excellent decision," Omar, who had also served as Minister of State for External Affairs in the A B Vajpayee-led NDA government, said.

"Remember him from my days as MoS MEA ( Ministry of External Affairs) & he was Ambassador in Prague. He's a top notch diplomat & will make an excellent FS no doubt about it," Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

S Jaishankar today took charge as Foreign Secretary, replacing Sujatha Singh whose tenure was abruptly "curtailed" late last night.