ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to approve the appointments of new ambassadors in important world capitals, particularly in Washington DC and United Nations, after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Informed sources told Business Recorder that the prime minister may take a decision with regard to appointments at some key diplomatic positions particularly Washington DC and the United Nations at New York where ambassadors are political appointees.
Masood Khan has been Ambassador of Pakistan to United States since February 5, 2022 and Munir Akram is the Permanent Representative to United Nations in New York since November 1, 2019.
Both were appointed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government during its previous 16-month tenure gave the go-ahead for the two to continue.
For the lucrative ambassadorial position in Washington, rumours in the federal capital are rife that the government may replace Masood Khan either with Ali Jehangir Siddiqui or Maleeha Lodhi.
Siddiqui was Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US from 29th May 2018 to 25th December 2018 whereas Lodhi was Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2015 to 2019.
Canada also is favourite diplomatic station for political appointees, but a career diplomat Zaheer Janjua is currently Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Ottawa, and is due to retire in June this year and the speculation is that the government may pick a political appointee after Janjua’s retirement.
Sources within the Foreign Office said that the prime minister has not yet sought a summary with regard to new appointments particularly in those stations where there are political appointees.
“It’s the prerogative of the prime minister to assign or recall any political appointee anytime and to replace them with any other candidate,” a diplomatic source said adding that the Prime Minister is expected to seek a summary from the Foreign Office after Eid-ul-Fitr with regard to new ambassadorial appointments in key world capitals.
Sources further revealed that Foreign Office is waiting for instructions from the prime minister prior to sending a summary in this regard.
In December 2023, the former caretaker prime minister Anwaar-al-Haq Kakar approved the summary of appointments of 18 new ambassadors and high commissioners – 17 career diplomats and one political appointee – in various countries and the next cycle of appointments will be made later in April.
Those appointed included Bilal Haaye as Pakistan’s new ambassador in Sweden, QasimMohiuddin in Azerbaijan, Kamran Akhtar in Austria, Rukhsana Afzal in Thailand, Zahid Raza in Mauritius, Zahoor Ahmed in Spain, Ahsan Wagan in Turkmenistan, Murad Ashraf Janjua in Brazil, Arshad Jan Pathan in Romania, Imran Haider in Myanmar, Khalid Ejaz in Portugal, Zafar Iqbal in Kuwait, Malik Farooq in Cambodia, Naveed Bokhariin Oman, Mehmood Akhtar Mehmood in Ivory Coast and Khodayar Marri — a political appointee in Vietnam.
Additionally, Faisal Aziz was appointed as Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Zealand and Rabia Shafique as high commissioner in Singapore.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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