Srinagar, June 11 : President Pratibha Patil has appointed former Union Home Secretary N. N. Vohra as the new Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

He has replaced General (Retired) Srinivas Kumar Sinha whose five-year term ended last week.

Vohra has been the Centre’s mediator since 2003 for talks with various groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

A seasoned and veteran bureaucrat, he has occupied a number of high posts in the government, including the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Vohra’s appointment by the Centre as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir comes at a time when the Assembly election is to be held later this year.

The central government’s decision to nominate Vohra, a seasoned bureaucrat, also ends the tussle between Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad and coalition partner, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the next incumbent in Srinagar’s Raj Bhavan.

The PDP had demanded that a civilian person be appointed as a reflection of the improving security situation in the Valley.

Azad, on the other hand, was pushing for an extension for incumbent General Sinha. Vohra not only gives Raj Bhavan a civilian face but also comes with experience handling tricky security related matters. (ANI)