Veteran diplomat Asim Iftikhar set to steer Pakistan’s foreign policy

Dubai: Pakistan has appointed its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, as the country’s next Foreign Secretary, bringing an experienced multilateral diplomat to one of the most important positions in Pakistan’s foreign policy establishment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar announced the appointment, saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved the assignments.

“I am confident that, under Ambassador Asim’s leadership, the Foreign Office will continue to advance Pakistan’s interests with clarity, professionalism and purpose,” Dar said in a post on X, while acknowledging the work of outgoing Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and her predecessors.

Amna Baloch, Pakistan’s 33rd Foreign Secretary, will retire from government service on September 17 after a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades. She has served as Foreign Secretary since September 11, 2024.

Dar praised Baloch for her leadership of the Foreign Ministry during what he described as a consequential period in Pakistan’s diplomatic history.

“Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch leaves behind a legacy of dedicated public service, and carries with her our warmest wishes,” he said.

Baloch will subsequently assume charge as Pakistan’s ambassador to Türkiye, with Dar expressing confidence that she would continue to serve Pakistan with distinction in her new role.

The Foreign Secretary is the senior-most career diplomat in Pakistan’s Foreign Service and the administrative head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position plays a central role in translating the government’s foreign policy priorities into diplomatic action, coordinating Pakistan’s embassies and missions abroad, advising the foreign minister and prime minister on international affairs, and managing the country’s engagement with major powers, neighbours and international organisations.

The appointment comes at a significant time for Pakistan as it navigates complex regional and global challenges, including relations with neighbouring countries, economic diplomacy, multilateral issues and Pakistan’s engagement with the United Nations and other international forums.

Iftikhar, who joined the Foreign Service in 1993, brings more than three decades of diplomatic experience spanning Europe, Africa, Asia and the United Nations.

He has been Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN and previously served as the country’s ambassador to France and Monaco and Permanent Delegate to Unesco from November 2022 to December 2024.

Before his posting to Paris, Iftikhar served as Foreign Ministry spokesperson from August 2021 to November 2022. During the same period, he also headed the Asia Pacific Division and later the United Nations and Economic Diplomacy Division as Additional Foreign Secretary.

He was Pakistan’s ambassador to Thailand from 2017 to 2021, while his first diplomatic assignment was in Niamey, Niger, where he served from 1997 to 2000.

His career has included several senior assignments at the Foreign Ministry, including responsibilities in the Personnel, Europe and Africa divisions.

Iftikhar has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, including senior positions at Pakistan’s missions to the UN in New York and Geneva. He has also served as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to UNESCAP in Bangkok and Permanent Delegate to Unesco in Paris, where he held leadership positions within the Asia-Pacific Group.

During his tenure heading the UN Division at the Foreign Ministry, he dealt with a broad range of issues, including international peace and security, development, climate change and human rights, while overseeing Pakistan’s engagement with UN-related work in New York, Geneva, Rome, Vienna, Paris and Nairobi.

His earlier assignments in New York, from 2003 to 2009 and again from 2012 to 2014, included political, peace and security and UN reform issues. He also served as Pakistan’s focal point for Security Council matters, General Assembly political issues, conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-building.

Iftikhar holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, where he graduated with a gold medal in 1991. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, completed in 1988, also with a gold medal. Born in Lahore on November 27, 1966, Iftikhar is married and has three daughters..