Sohail appointed DG ISSI

ISLAMABAD: Former foreign secretary and ambassador Sohail Mahmood has been appointed director-general of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). He has assumed the assignment.

The former top diplomat attained superannuation in September last year and has been offered a contractual slot. He took over from Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry upon completion of his term. Aizaz has also served the country as foreign secretary and later became Pakistan’s

ambassador to the United States.

Sohail served in the Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) for nearly 37 years and rose to the rank of foreign secretary. Prior to that, he was high commissioner of Pakistan to India from 2017 to 2019. Earlier, he served as ambassador to Turkiye (2015-17) and Thailand (2009-13). He has also served as additional secretary (Afghanistan/West Asia) and director-general (Americas) and director-general (Foreign Secretary’s Office).

Earlier, he served in Pakistani Embassies in Ankara and Washington, DC, and as counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has also served as director (Iran & Turkiye). Sohail holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from the Columbia University, New York, and did Masters in History from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He is known as a humble officer of the FSP.