Candidates for foreign secretary shortlisted

Front-runners for the position include Abdul Basit, Tehmina Janjua and Sayed Ibne Abbas

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has shortlisted names for the next foreign secretary, a key slot that will soon fall vacant as incumbent Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry has been named Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States.

Front-runners for the position include Pakistan’s current High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Tehmina Janjua and High Commissioner to Britain Sayed Ibne Abbas. However, it is not clear who among them will eventually be the next foreign secretary.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will take the final decision on the matter, official sources said. They added that a formal announcement is expected in the first week of January.

Sources pointed out that Basit is the senior-most diplomat after Aizaz Chaudhry. However, seniority is not necessarily a prerequisite as it is the prime minister’s prerogative to appoint the foreign secretary.

Of the three shortlisted candidates, the current high commissioner to New Delhi is considered most suitable official given his experience in dealing with delicate foreign policy issues.

His experience as envoy to India is also seen as an added advantage. However, some sources indicated that Tehmina Janjua is the hot favourite for the job. Tehmina will become the first woman to hold the position if she won the government's nod.

Meanwhile, Aizaz is expected to take up his new assignment next month when Jalil Abbas Jilani retires. The posting to Washington is always considered as important as well as challenging. Unlike the Pakistan Peoples Party government, the current administration relied on career diplomats for the job.



During the previous term of Peoples Party, the position was held by political appointees including Hussain Haqqani and Sherry Rehman.

A senior official in the Foreign Office hailed the government’s decision to stick with career diplomats for the position of ambassador to Washington.

The new ambassador will take charge at a time when Donald Trump will formally replace Barack Obama as the next president of the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2016.