Rizwan replaces Masood Khan in Washington
Islamabad:
The government on Friday appointed new ambassadors to the United States and its mission to the United Nations in New York, hiring career diplomats despite some speculation that political appointees would take the posts.
The decision was confirmed by a Foreign Ministry spokesman at a weekly briefing.
“The government of Pakistan has decided to appoint Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Middle East and SIFC) Rizwan Saeed Sheikh as the new ambassador to Washington DC and Ambassador Asim Iftikhar as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar is currently Pakistan’s ambassador to France,” Foreign Minister Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters at a weekly briefing.
Ambassador Rizwan succeeds Masood Khan, a former diplomat who was appointed ambassador to the US on a contract basis.
Hours before the resolution, US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blom met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to an official statement, the two reviewed the latest developments in bilateral ties and discussed ways to move them forward.
Asked whether the appointment of a new ambassador to the US was related to the current deterioration in relations or the current ambassador’s missteps, the spokesman denied such speculation.
“The announcement I have just made is part of the normal posting cycle and the appointments have been under consideration for the past few weeks. The announcement has only just been made,” she added.
While Ambassador Rizwan takes over from Ambassador Masood, interestingly, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar has been appointed as Additional Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, which means that the current Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, will continue in his role for some time to come.
Ambassador Akram is a veteran diplomat who retired long ago, but was appointed to the UN in recognition of his extensive experience in multilateral forums. When asked when Ambassador Akram’s contract would end, the spokesman declined to comment.
North-South Corridor
The spokesman said Pakistan was not in principle opposed to the 7,200-km International North-South Transport Corridor, which would serve as an alternative trade route connecting Russia with Central and South Asia.
