It looks like it has become a tradition and de facto practice: the plum postings in North America have become the prerogatives of whoever functions as JS(XP). The announcement of Vikas Swarup as the new Indian High Commissioner to Canada is the latest example. Swarup's predecessor in Canada, Vishnu Prakash, was also a spokesperson in the MEA. Earlier, spokespersons from the Ministry of External Affairs Navtej Sarna was appointed the Indian ambassador in Washington DC and Syed Akbaruddin the Permanent Representative to the UN in New York.