ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood got retired on Thursday and Asad Majeed Khan is likely to replace him, according to official sources.
A farewell reception was held in honour of Mahmood at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday which was attended by senior officers and officials of the Foreign Office. Mahmood was appointed as the foreign secretary in March 2019 by the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Informed sources said that Majeed who is Ambassador-designate to Belgium, EU, and Luxembourg, is most likely to replace Mahmood as the new foreign secretary.
Ambassador Majeed was previously Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States and was the focus of attention when former prime minister Imran Khan claimed that his government was being ousted through an alleged “foreign conspiracy”.
Former prime minister Khan waved a copy of the diplomatic cypher from Ambassador Majeed in a public rally in Islamabad, terming it as an alleged “threat letter” before he was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in the Parliament in April this year.
Dr Majeed is a career Pakistan Foreign Service officer. During his diplomatic career spanning over 33 years, Ambassador Majeed has held several key positions such as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US; Pakistan’s Ambassador to Japan, Additional Foreign Secretary (Americas); Director General (Americas); Director General (West Asia); Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires ad interim to the United States; Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C.; Additional Secretary (Foreign Affairs) at the President’s Secretariat; Director General (United Nations); Minister-Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations; Director (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation); Director (Economic Coordination); Second Secretary in the Pakistan Embassy in Tokyo and Desk Officer for US and India during early years of his career.
Dr Majeed earned his doctorate in International Economic and Business Law (LL.D.) from Kyushu University, Japan, and has been a resource person at various academic institutions in Pakistan including International Islamic University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Foreign Trade Institute of Pakistan, and Foreign Services Academy on International Trade, Law, and WTO affairs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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