Pakistan on Friday announced appointment of Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani (Retd) as Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, Foreign Office said. General Durrani replaces General Jehangir Karamat (Retd).
Durrani graduated from Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 and has served in various Command and Staff and Instructional appointments during his army career. He attended a mid-career Armour course in USA in 1973 and the Basic Airborne Course from Fort Benning, USA in 1982.
He also served as Pakistan Defence and Military Attache in Washington from 1977 to 1982. Durrani also served as chairman and chief executive of Pakistan Ordnance Factories Board (POF) from 1992-1998.
After retirement from army, he was actively involved in working towards peace between India and Pakistan as member of the dedicated group of Pakistanis and Indians.
He, as part of a process sponsored by the United Nations, also worked with senior ex-officials from the US, Russia and Iran to find a peaceful settlement of the Afghan crisis. Major General Durrani (Retd) served for three years in the governing council of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), London (2001-2004).
He is also author of the several books including: India and Pakistan - The Cost of Conflict and the Benefits of Peace, published by John Hopkins University, USA in 2000, Pakistan's Security Imperatives Year 2000 and Beyond (2000), Enhancing Security through a Co-operative Border Monitoring Experiment: A Proposal for India and Pakistan (2001), and Pakistan's Strategic Thinking and the Role of Nuclear Weapons (2004). Durrani was born in 1941. He is married and has three children.