Donald Blome takes oath as US envoy to Pakistan

Senior diplomat Donald Armin Blome took oath as new US ambassador to Pakistan, senior State Department official said on Thursday.

“Honored to swear in Ambassador Donald A Blome as the US Ambassador to Pakistan. Ambassador Blome is a stellar choice to build upon 75 years of US-Pakistan relations,” Deputy US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman wrote on her official Twitter handle.

She also thanked the US Senate “for his confirmation to this important post”.

On March 3, the US Senate finally approved Ambassador Blome, a career diplomat, as envoy to Islamabad. He is expected to arrive in Islamabad on May 23 to take charge of his new position.

The US State Department, following the approval of Ambassador Blome, said in a statement that the partnership with Pakistan was a “key to progress on regional security, trade, investment, the climate crisis and human rights”.

Blome will be the first full-time ambassador to Pakistan since August 2018 when American envoy David Hale returned home after completing his term.

After that, former US president Donald Trump’s administration did not appoint a full-time envoy to Islamabad.

This happened despite ties between the two countries improving thanks to the personal bonhomie between Trump and former premier Imran Khan and close cooperation between the two countries on the Afghan endgame.

The appointment of Blome as US ambassador to Pakistan comes at a time when the two sides are seeking a reset in their troubled relationship.

The US exit from Afghanistan has raised serious questions about the future of ties between the two countries as one of the top American diplomats said Washington did not see itself building a broad-based relationship with Islamabad.

Also read: New US envoy set for ‘daunting task’

Despite efforts by the former PTI government seeking broad-based ties with Washington, US President Joe Biden’s administration never responded positively.

One of the reasons was that the US was unhappy with former PM Imran’s critical statements on Washington's Afghan policy.

Therefore, Biden never telephoned Imran. What further deepened tensions was the controversy surrounding the diplomatic cable, which Imran presented as evidence of the US plot against his government.

Imran said the US punished him for pursuing an “independent foreign policy”, particularly on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The US wanted Pakistan to take a clear stance against Russia and even advised Islamabad not to go ahead with the prime minister’s visit to Moscow.

Now, with the PTI-led government sent packing and a new regime in place, the appointment of a new US ambassador is seen as significant.