Kamran Shafi - a columnist and former major of the Pakistan Army, who served as press secretary to Benazir Bhutto.
The government is likely to appoint noted columnist Kamran Shafi as Pakistan’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), officials said on Thursday.
The development comes a day after the government made key changes in the foreign ministry by naming new envoys to the US, India and Afghanistan.
Kamran Shafi will replace Wajid Shamsul Hassan, who resigned as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK following his party’s defeat in the parliamentary elections.
When contacted, Kamran Shafi confirmed to The Express Tribune that he was in contact with the government for the coveted diplomatic post. However, the government had not yet informed him about its final decision, he added.
Shafi, who regularly writes for the country’s top English newspapers including The Express Tribune, has also served in the army.
He was appointed as principal information officer by Benazir Bhutto when she was elected as the country’s prime minister in 1988.
His likely appointment as Pakistan’s envoy to the UK has come as a surprise for many and a bold step on part of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, as he is considered a staunch critic of army’s policies.
In November 2009, unknown attackers fired at his house in Wah, Taxila. He is also reported to have received threatening phone calls from unknown persons for writing against the army. Later, Shafi blamed the country’s security establishment for the attack.
His possible appointment is part of a long overdue reshuffle in the diplomatic assignments since Nawaz Sharif was elected as prime minister.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2013.
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