No official announcement has been made about this but there is speculation that Ahamed will be asked to represent India at the two-day SAARC ministerial meeting in Dhaka prior to the grouping's summit Nov 12-13 following the stepping down of K. Natwar Singh as external affairs minister.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Dhaka Nov 11 for the summit.

Ahamed's was the first official visit from India to Sudan after the formation in September 2005 of that country's government of national unity under a historic peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.