18 new envoys, six HCs designated

ISLAMABAD: In a major and long-awaited reshuffle at the embassies and high commissions, Pakistan has designated new ambassadors to 18 important capitals including Russia, Iran, Germany, Italy, Poland, South Korea, Bulgaria, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Argentina, Romania, Denmark, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and six consul generals to represent Pakistan at different consulates.

Dr Muhammad Faisal Chaudhry, who is Director General South Asia Division and spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed country’s ambassador to Germany replacing Jauhar Saleem, who will now be Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy and would replace Nadeem Riyaz. Pakistan’s Ambassador for South Korea Rahim Hayat Qureshi will now replace Ms Riffat Masood in Iran who is returning to the headquarters after attaining superannuation. Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan who headed the embassy in Warsaw, Poland has been designated ambassador for Russia to replace Qazi Khalilullah who was on a contractual assignment and will stand retired following the replacement. Malik Muhammad Farooq, who was Director General Europe at the Foreign Office, has been named Ambassador for Poland. Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Additional Foreign Secretary for the Middle East, has been appointed ambassador to Greece, and Marium Madeeha Aftab, who is minister in Pakistan’s embassy in Berlin, has been elevated as ambassador for Bulgaria, the Minister at Pakistan's Embassy in Beijing Ms Mumtaz Zohra Baloch has been appointed as ambassador to South Korea. The Additional Foreign Secretary for African Affairs, Dr Ali Ahmad Arain, has been made ambassador to Senegal replacing Muhammad Imran Mirza who will be getting a new assignment at the Foreign Office headquarters. The minister at the Ankara Embassy Syed Ali Asad Geelani, upon attaining elevation, will now be Pakistan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, while the minister in Sweden Irfan Ahmad has been elevated as ambassador to Turkmenistan and the minister in Canberra Khalid Ejaz has been made ambassador for Argentina.

A Director General in the Foreign Office, Zafar Iqbal, will now represent Islamabad as its ambassador in Romania. Another Director General Foreign Office Ahmad Farooq is now the new ambassador in Denmark. Major General Umer Farooq Burki has been made ambassador in Jordan and Vice Admiral Athar Mukhtar has been appointed Ambassador in Kyrgyzstan. The Minister in Budapest, Zahid Hussain will be consul general in Frankfurt. Samina Mehtab, who is a Director General Foreign Office, has been appointed consul general in Chinese city Chengdu and the minister in Canberra Tariq Wazir will now move to Manchester as Consul General. Muhammad Saeed, presently serving as ambassador in Azerbaijan, has been given an extension for six months before his superannuation.

Ayesha Farooqui, who had assumed the charge as a Director General in Foreign Office and had come from the US where she was Consul General in Houston, will now become the spokesperson for the Foreign Office in place of Dr Muhammad Faisal. She is likely to assume the new responsibilities in the next week.

Well-placed sources told The News here on Saturday that the nominations for appointment of the envoys have been made public by departing from the well established tradition as none of the ambassadors have received as yet the 'agreema', consent from their new hosting capitals.

According to the established practice and tradition, the ambassador, high commissioner’s name is only made public after receiving the consent of the host government at a mutually agreed date and time. The sources said the Foreign Office had received the approved summary on the Friday evening and telegrams requesting 'agreema' were sent on the Saturday morning. It is likely that the consent of the relevant countries will be received in a few days that will enable the ambassadors designate to start formalising their preparations for moving to their new destinations. The outgoing spokesman of FO Dr Faisal wasn’t available for his comments since he was on his way to Washington.