FO spokesman changed in major diplomatic reshuffle
* Government announces postings and transfers of 21 officers to various embassies, high commissions and consulate generals
In another round of major reshuffle, the federal government has announced postings and transfers of 21 officers of the diplomatic team to various embassies, high commissions, and consulate generals.
According to the announcement, Director General South Asia and SAARC Dr Faisal – who also served as Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson – has been appointed as Pakistan's new ambassador to Germany. Dr Faisal will replace Jauhar Saleem as the new ambassador to Germany. Saleem will now serve as ambassador to Italy.
Consul General in Huston Ayesha Farooq is likely to be appointed as new spokesperson at the Foreign Office.
Director General (Europe II) Malik Farooq has been made ambassador to Poland. Director General Human Resource and Career Planning Dr Zafar Iqbal has been assigned the role of ambassador to Romania and Director General Counterterrorism Ahmad Farooq will take charge as ambassador to Denmark.
Rahim Hayat Qureshi, currently serving as ambassador to South Korea, will now be the country's ambassador to Iran, and Shafqat Ali Khan, the ambassador to Poland, has been transferred to Russia.
Additional secretary Middle East Naeem Khan will now serve as ambassador to Greece while Additional Secretary Africa Dr Ali Ahmed Arain will be the country's new ambassador to Senegal.
Director General East Asia Pacific Samina Mehtab will now serve at the Chengdu Consulate General. Mariam Madiha Aftab, a minister assigned to the Berlin Embassy, will now serve as ambassador to Bulgaria, and Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a minister appointed to the Beijing Embassy, will now serve as ambassador to South Korea.
Dr Khalid Ejaz, a minister at the Canberra Embassy, will now serve as ambassador to Argentina. Tariq Wazir, another minister at the Canberra Embassy, will now serve at the Manchester Consulate General. Syed Ali Asad Gillani, the minister attached to Ankara, has now been appointed ambassador to Uzbekistan, and Irfan Ahmed, minister at Stockholm Embassy, will now be ambassador to Turkmenistan. Zahid Hussain, a minister at Budapest Embassy, has been transferred to the Frankfurt Consulate General.
Some retired military officials have also been appointed to the Foreign Office. Maj Gen (r) Umar Farooq Burki has been named as ambassador to Jordan and Vice Admiral (r) Ather Mukhtar as ambassador to Maldives. Dr Saeed Khan has the distinction of continuing as ambassador to Azerbaijan with a six months extension at the Baku Embassy.