Our man in Washington: Aizaz Chaudhry formally named envoy to US

The new envoy will try to break the ice with Trump’s administration.

ISLAMABAD: The government has formally announced the appointment of outgoing Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.

Aizaz will replace Jalil Abbas Jilani as the next ambassador to Washington, which is considered as one of the most challenging and important diplomatic assignments.



He is going to Washington at a time when there is uncertainty about the future of Pak-US ties under President Donald Trump’s administration. He will actively engage with the Trump team and try to break the ice with the new administration.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office described Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as a career Foreign Service Officer with over 36 years of bilateral and multilateral experience in the field of diplomacy.

Since December 2013, he has been serving as the country’s foreign secretary. Earlier, he served as the spokesperson of the foreign ministry.



In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Chaudhry has served as additional foreign secretary for UN and disarmament affairs, and director general for relations with South Asian countries.

Overseas, he served as an ambassador to the Netherlands, deputy permanent representative to the UN, chef de cabinet to the secretary general of ECO in Tehran, and Pakistan missions in Washington, Doha and Cairo.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2017.