Ex-diplomat Najmuddin Shaikh passes away

Former foreign secretary and seasoned diplomat Najmuddin A Shaikh passed away peacefully at his home early Friday morning.

"It is with the most profound sorrow that we announce former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador Najmuddin A Shaikh passed away peacefully in his home early Friday morning in Karachi," the family stated in a statement sent to The Express Tribune. He was laid to rest at the Phase VIII Graveyard DHA, Karachi.

Shaikh, who served as Pakistan's Foreign Secretary from 1994 to 1997, was a highly regarded diplomat. Originally from Sindh, he joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1961 after graduating from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1962. Over his 38-year career, he held key diplomatic assignments, including ambassadorial roles in Canada (1987–1989), West Germany (1989–1990), the United States (1990–1991), and Iran (1992–1994).