ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi retired as Pakistan’s 32nd foreign secretary on Tuesday who will be replaced by Amna Baloch.
“Today we bid farewell to Ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi as the 32nd Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. He leaves government service upon attaining superannuation,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
Speaking at the farewell reception held at the Foreign Office, Ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi thanked all the ambassadors and bosses he worked with and acknowledged separately.
He also acknowledged the efforts put in by his staff members at various times during his career by naming them and thanking them for their assistance.
Ambassador Qazi will be replaced by Amna Baloch as the country’s new foreign secretary who will assume the charge of her new responsibility today (Wednesday).
Ambassador Amna Baloch will be the second woman to hold the highest-ranking position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following Tehmina Janjua who was appointed as the first woman foreign secretary in February 2017 by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Prior to this, Baloch was Pakistan’s Ambassador to European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024