Asim Iftikhar to become foreign secretary on October 15

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office is undergoing a major reshuffle, with several senior diplomats being assigned new positions and posting.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, is set to take charge as the new Foreign Secretary on October 15. He is expected to return to Islamabad from New York next week.

Asim Iftikhar will replace Amna Baloch, who has been appointed Pakistan’s ambassador to Türkiye for a two-year contractual term following her retirement from the Foreign Service.

Meanwhile, ambassador-designate Salman Sharif is scheduled to assume his post in Berlin next week, replacing Saqlain Syeda. The outgoing ambassador is expected to receive another assignment before reaching superannuation.

In another key change, senior diplomat Muhammad Asif Khan, who was serving at Pakistan’s UN mission in New York, has been appointed Director General for Foreign Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office. He will replace Salman Sharif.

Acting Foreign Secretary Muhammad Khalil Hashmi has also been appointed National Coordinator for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) affairs.

Dr Muhammad Faisal, meanwhile, has been transferred to the position of Additional Foreign Secretary for Asia-Pacific. He replaces Muhammad Imran Siddiquee, who has been appointed Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran.

The reshuffle comes as Pakistan prepares to host the SCO heads of state summit in Islamabad next year. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to be invited along with leaders of other member states.