ISLAMABAD Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced on Friday that Pakistan had chosen to remove Masood Khan from office and designate Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh as Additional Foreign Secretary (Middle East and SIFC) and envoy to the United States.
Since February 2022, Masood Khan has held the position of ambassador to Washington. In November 2021, Imran Khan, who was prime minister at the time, nominated him for the position.
The spokesman announced that the government has chosen to designate Asim Iftikhar, a prominent diplomat currently serving as Pakistan’s ambassador in France, as its additional permanent representative to the UN. This is a significant diplomatic move.
She stated that Iftikhar will take over Munir Akram’s position as permanent representative when the time is right. Akram took on this role in November.
The spokeswoman stated that the advertising of the appointments was a standard procedure and that the appointments had been thought out for several weeks.
In response to the US House of Representatives’ resolution, Zahra Baloch expressed remorse for the turn of events and stated that Pakistan had decided to maintain relations with the US based on respect for one another and non-interference.
She stated that the US Congress need to endeavor to enhance ties between the US and Pakistan, noting that Pakistan has informed the US of its grave concerns on the resolution.
