International

Pakistan has decided to appoint Rizwan Saeed Sheikh as the country’s new ambassador to the United States while Masood Khan has been retired from his position

ISLAMABAD, June 29 (SABAH): Pakistan has decided to appoint Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, who is currently serving as the additional foreign secretary of the Middle East and Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), as the country’s new ambassador to the United States, the foreign office said in a statement on Friday.

Sheikh’s appointment to the post takes place at a time when relations between Islamabad and Washington remain strained after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted for a resolution demanding a probe into Pakistan’s national election held earlier this year.

Washington approved the appointment of Pakistan’s current ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, in February 2022 after he was nominated to the post in November 2021. Khan served as president of the semi-autonomous Azad Kashmir area until August 2021. Masood Khan has been retired from his position.

“The Government of Pakistan has decided to appoint Additional Foreign Secretary (Middle East and SIFC) Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh as Pakistan’s new Ambassador to Washington DC,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

She also announced Pakistan’s decision to appoint Ambassador Asim Iftikhar as Pakistan’s additional permanent representative to the United Nations, New York.

“Ambassador Asim Iftikhar is currently serving as Pakistan’s ambassador to France,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sheikh is a career diplomat with almost two decades of experience, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He has served as lead negotiator on behalf of groups such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G-77, and China in over 20 multilateral negotiations, particularly during his tenure as a member of Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva.

Sheikh has served at important positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan including the UN, the US, and the South Asia Divisions.