Pakistan to appoint six new envoys

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is designating six new ambassadors to capitals of Spain, Thailand, Cuba, Bahrain, Vietnam and France. Foreign Office Spokesman Additional Foreign Secretary Zahid Hafeez Chaudhary will be country’s ambassador to Spain vice Khayyam Akbar who has attained superannuation.

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhary viewed as a perceptive diplomat among his colleagues would be proceeding for his first ambassadorial appointment.

Well-placed diplomatic sources told The News here that Pakistan’s ambassador in Cuba Sahibzada Ahmad Khan will be ambassador for Thailand replacing Asim Iftikhar Ahmad who will be posted to an important European country.

Ms Samina Mehtab, who is Director General in the Foreign Office and was earlier tipped to be ambassador in Cambodia, has been designated to become ambassador in Vietnam where Pakistan has currently no ambassador.

The sources pointed out that Pakistan’s mission in Paris is without an ambassador for one year as Ambassador Moinul Haque was transferred and posted to China. Since then the country has no envoy in French capital and Pakistan didn’t show keenness in consigning his replacement in the backdrop of widespread anger about French President’s blasphemous assertions. Technically Pakistan and France are having their missions in their respective capitals in place with agreed strength of diplomats and staff. France has its ambassador in Pakistan currently, but he completed his tenure in Pakistan in September last year. The French government has not announced his replacement and the envoy is still holding the job in Islamabad. He returned to Paris for consultations but now he has come back here, the sources said.

Sahibzada Ahmed Khan, who earlier as Chief of Protocol State of Pakistan at the headquarters and later became High Commissioner in the United Kingdom before being appointed in Havana as ambassador for Cuba, would be moving to Bangkok to assume assignment of ambassador for Thailand.

Sahibzada Ahmed Khan is a learned diplomat and attained education from some world’s top educational institutes. Ambassador Afzaal Mahmood’s movement from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has paved the way for appointment of Muhammad Ayub from the United Kingdom to Manama as ambassador for Bahrain. It will be his appointment as ambassador. Pakistan will have new ambassador some other capitals but the details for their appointment are being worked out.

With the appointment of Zahid Hafeez Chaudhary as ambassador in Madrid, the Foreign Office will have a new spokesman and some important shuffling at the senior level, the sources added.