US govt has approved new envoy’s appointment: FO spokesperson
Islamabad, February 06 (KMS): Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that the US government approved the appointment of Sardar Masood Khan as the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States.
The spokesperson said in a statement in Islamabad that Sardar Masood Khan would assume his responsibilities in Washington, DC in due course of time, adding that he was a seasoned diplomat who had served Pakistan with distinction and honour.
The statement from the FO spokesperson has come amid speculations centring on delay in the approval of Pakistan’s ambassador-designate to the US, which has created an impression of a pause in the process.
The Pakistan embassy in Washington submitted Masood Khan’s name to the State Department in November and the host government usually takes two to three months to approve the papers.
Masood Khan will replace the outgoing ambassador of Pakistan in Washington, Asad Majeed Khan.
Masood Khan joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and International Organisations in Geneva, to China and to the UN in New York before his retirement. He also served as the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
