Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi has been inaugurated as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, succeeding Asad Majeed Khan, who has retired. The appointment was endorsed by former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif just before his government’s term ended, with the official declaration made recently.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed Qazi’s position as the 32nd Foreign Secretary. Previously, Qazi, a senior officer in the Foreign Service, was a special secretary. The government opted to finalize Khan’s successor before retirement to ensure continuity in such a pivotal role.
Having served as the foreign secretary for eight months, Khan previously held the position of Pakistani ambassador in Washington. Notably, Khan relayed crucial information in 2022 after discussions with a high-ranking US official, which then-Prime Minister Imran Khan utilized to allege foreign conspiracies against his administration.
While Khan was initially considered for the foreign secretary role in September 2022, reservations from the then-army chief led to Jauhar Saleem temporarily assuming the responsibility. Khan’s eventual appointment in December is thought to have been influenced by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
