ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The government has extended by one year the tenure of Dr Manzoor Ahmad as Pakistan’s ambassador and permanent representative for the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.

A senior official in the commerce ministry told Dawn on Thursday that the decision was taken by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to allow Dr Manzoor to continue working till further order and represent Pakistan in the upcoming crucial meetings for the early conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA).

The government had earlier nominated Shaukat Umar, who retired from foreign services, as new ambassador to WTO on contractual basis. But later on the proposal was withdrawn as it was not in the national interest to appoint a non-trade official for representing the country at the upcoming Hong Kong Ministerial conference.