ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, was on Wednesday designated as the country’s next foreign secretary, succeeding Ambassador Amna Baloch.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the appointment on X, adding that he was “confident that, under Ambassador Asim’s leadership, the Foreign Office will continue to advance Pakistan’s interests with clarity, professionalism and purpose”.
The announcement was made after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved Ambassador Ahmad’s posting. He would be the country’s 34th foreign secretary.
Ambassador Baloch, who retires on Sept 17, has been given a post-retirement contract and appointed as envoy to Turkiye, replacing Dr Yousaf Junaid.
FM Dar announces appointment on X after PM Shehbaz approves posting
The outgoing ambassador in Turkiye was a retired commerce secretary and had served in the position on post retirement contract. He had been in the position for almost four years — exceeding the normal tenure by a year.
The new foreign secretary is a career diplomat born in Lahore on Nov 27, 1966, as per his profile on the website of Pakistan’s mission to the UN in New York. This means the new foreign secretary would also retire in couple of months’ time and would have an extended tenure.
Ambassador Ahmad is currently busy in New York with UNGA’s 81st session, which will run till the end of the month. He is, therefore, unlikely to immediately assume the new assignment and Special Secretary Nabeel Munir is expected to be the acting foreign secretary during the transition period. “Looking forward to carrying out together this responsibility in advancing supreme national interest,” Ambassador Ahmad wrote on X following Mr Dar’s announcement.
Career
Ambassador Ahmad joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1993. He is a gold medallist from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore and the University of the Punjab.
He has been serving as permanent representative in New York since April 2025, where he succeeded Ambassador Munir Akram. During Pakistan’s term on the Security Council he served as Council President in July 2025.
His earlier postings include envoy to France and Monaco and permanent delegate to Unesco (2022-2024), spokesperson and additional secretary at FO (2021-2022), and ambassador to Thailand and permanent representative to Unescap (2017-2021).
He previously served two stints at Pakistan’s UN Mission in New York, including as political coordinator during Security Council terms in 2003-04 and 2012-13, and as Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the UN General Assembly President in 2009-10.
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2026
