Major reshuffle: FO spokesperson named envoy to Germany

Prime Minister Imran Khan approves 17 ambassadorial appointments and three positions of consul general

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal has been named Pakistan’s ambassador to Germany in a major foreign ministry reshuffle that also saw 20 other senior officials getting diplomatic assignments abroad.

The ambassadorial reshuffle – which has been approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan – includes 17 ambassadorial appointments and three positions of consul general.

According to a notification issued by the foreign ministry on December 13, Dr Mohammad Faisal, who was serving as Director General for South Asia and Saarc, will be replacing Ambassador Johar Salim, who has been posted to Italy.

It is not immediately known who will replace Dr Faisal as Foreign Office spokesperson.

In another change at the Embassy in Berlin, Maryam Madiha Aftab has been made ambassador to Bulgaria, while Zahid Hussain, currently posted as a minister in Budapest, will take over as consul general in Frankfurt.

Ambassador to Poland Shafqat Ali Khan has been posted to Moscow, while Director General (Europe II) Malik Mohammad Farooq will replace Khan in Warsaw. Additional Secretary (Middle East) Mohammad Naeem Khan will serve as envoy to Greece while Additional Secretary Africa Dr Ali Ahmed Arain has been appointed ambassador to Senegal.

In further reshuffle in Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Europe, Irfan Ahmad, who is currently working as a minister at the Embassy in Sweden, has been appointed as ambassador to Turkmenistan; Director General (Counterterrorism) Ahmad Farooq will be ambassador to Denmark, while Director General (Human Resource and Career Planning) Dr Zafar Iqbal has been assigned the ambassadorial role in Romania.

The current ambassador to Australia has been moved to Argentine, while Muhammad Tariq Wazir, another minister at the Canberra Embassy, has been appointed as consul general in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

Rahim Hayat Qureshi, currently serving as ambassador to South Korea, has been transferred to Iran, while Zehra Baloch, a minister at the Embassy in Beijing, will take his place in Seoul. Director General (East Asia Pacific) Samina Mehtab will serve at the Consulate General in Chengdu, China.

Syed Ali Asad Gilani, a minister at the Embassy in Ankara, has been given the ambassadorial assignment in Uzbekistan. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dr Saeed Ahmad Khan has been given a six-month extension in his assignment.

Some retired military officials have also been given diplomatic assignments. Maj Gen (retd) Umar Farooq Burki has been appointed as Ambassador to Jordan, while Vice Admiral (retd) Ather Mukhtar will serve as ambassador to the Maldives.