Pakistan’s new US ambassador to take charge tomorrow

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s new ambassador-designate to the United States, Dr Asad Majeed, will take charge of the office tomorrow (Wednesday), ARY News reported.

Dr Majeed is a career diplomat and was serving as Pakistan’s ambassador to Tokyo. He replaced Ali Jehangir Siddiqui who was nominated by the PML-N government days before its departure but stayed here for more than seven months from May 9 to Dec 25, 2018.

Dr Khan would be Pakistan’s 29th Ambassador to the United States. He served as Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires ad interim to the United States from May 2013 to January 2014 and as Deputy Chief of Mission from March 2012 to September 2015.

Former Pakistani ambassador, Senator Sherry Rehman, welcomed the appointment of Majeed saying, she “strongly cheered” this development. “He held the job for six months after I had resigned and even while I was serving, (he was) a stellar, upright and smart diplomat, able to move with the times and challenges,” she tweeted.

Couple of months after the current government took charge, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed said in October that it had been decided to remove Pakistan Ambassador to the United States.

During a meeting with journalists, the minister said that Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Canada, Tariq Azeem would also be replaced as both the diplomats were appointed on political grounds by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government.

On Jan 2, US President Donald Trump had also expressed his desire to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan for talks on US-led efforts to jump-start the Afghan peace process. “I look forward to meeting the folks from the new leadership in Pakis­tan [and] we will be doing that in not-too-distant future,” he said.