ISLAMABAD: The government named on Wednesday member of parliament and rights activist Shehrbano (Sherry) Rehman as ambassador to the US, a day after Husain Haqqani had been asked to resign over allegations that he had sought Washington’s help against a possible military takeover.
“Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has appointed Ms Sherry Rehman as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States of America,” a handout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Before making the appointment public, Prime Minister Gilani met Ms Rehman to formally inform her about the decision.
“I see it as a major challenge and hope to bridge some divides and, at the same time, be an equally strong advocate for Pakistan’s interests,” she said while talking to Dawn.
Ms Rehman, a former journalist and federal minister, is reputed to be a strong supporter of women and minority rights. She faced death threats for demanding reforms in the blasphemy law. The proposed amendment was later withdrawn by her ‘in line with party policy’.
She quit the federal cabinet in 2009 because of differences with President Asif Zardari over media curbs.
Her nomination came as a surprise to many analysts because she was never thought to be a contender for the post. Earlier this year, however, there were speculations about her being appointed as foreign minister, a position that eventually went to Hina Rabbani Khar.
Ms Rehman strengthened her foreign policy credentials by setting up the Jinnah Institute, a think-tank which, among other themes, focused on foreign relations, including the country’s ties with India and Afghanistan.
She has also been involved in Track II diplomacy for normalising ties with India.
“She co-chairs several track-two strategic dialogues with India and is convener of a similar institutionalised dialogue process between Pakistan and Afghanistan later this year,” her profile released by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
A foreign ministry source said “the principals” (the Foreign Office top brass) had been intimated about the choice on Monday.
“Sherry Rehman appoints pro-military Ejaz Haider as head of Jinnah Institute to replace her. It seems they all knew about five days ago what the game was,” Ayesha Siddiqa, a defence analyst, wrote in a posting on her Facebook page.
Another source closely following the developments in the memo scandal that has forced this change claimed that Ms Rehman was a ‘compromise’ choice.
The military establishment directs the country’s foreign policy and has been keen about asserting its influence in the Washington embassy because of the critical importance of the position in managing the complicated Pakistan-US ties.
“She’ll be positively seen by the military because she doesn’t carry any baggage, unlike Mr Haqqani who had been very critical of the military,” Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, who heads the Centre for International Strategic Studies, said.
Besides proving herself to be a representative of both the military and civilian leadership in Washington, something that proved to be her predecessor’s Achilles Heel, one of the major challenges for Ms Rehman would be to improve the country’s image by neutralising the negative propaganda there.
“Sherry Rehman looks like a good choice in that she is well-known to Americans, extremely articulate and politically astute,” Daniel Markey, Pakistan Expert at the Council of Foreign Relations, said.
Ambassador Naqvi too believes she would have a good impact in Washington.
Although bilateral ties currently look to be on somewhat even keel after months of friction, Ms Rehman would not be landing in a very friendly environment.
There have been calls by congressional leaders for cutting aid to Pakistan for allegedly not effectively dealing with terrorism. Republicans have been particularly harsh about Pakistan in the presidential debate.
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