The government appointed Dr. Asad Majeed as the new foreign minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday.
The government appointed Dr. Asad Majeed as the new foreign minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) confirmed on Friday.
The establishment department issued the appointment notification, making Dr. Majeed the 31st foreign minister.
He currently serves as Pakistan’s ambassador to Belgium, the European Union, and Luxembourg.
Dr. Majeed is a Grade twenty-two Foreign Service Officer in Pakistan.
Jauhar Saleem served as Acting Foreign Secretary as the FO could not finalize and agree on the name of a permanent Foreign Secretary.
During his career spanning over 34 years, Dr. Majeed held several vital diplomatic assignments. He served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Japan; Additional Secretary of State (Americas), Director General (Americas); Director General (West Asia), Pakistan’s Undersecretary for US Affairs ad interim, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC and Additional Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Secretariat of the President.
He holds a Doctorate in International Economic and Trade Law (LLD) from Kyushu University, Japan, and has been a resource person at many academic institutions.
Confusion and indecision in the FO over the position of a new foreign minister began after a leaked audio in which former prime minister Imran Khan allegedly spoke about a diplomatic cipher sent by Dr. Majeed when he was a diplomat to the United States. “Yes, this was one reason. There was concern in the Foreign Office that if the government orders an investigation into the cipher incident, Ambassador Asad Majeed will not be able to fully attend to his duties, preferring to spend his time attending investigative meetings,” an official source said.
