Muhammad Naeem Khan, who served as additional foreign secretary until now and as spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office, will arrive in Riyadh early next month to take up his new assignment.
“The Saudi government has accorded consent for the appointment of Khan, who is a thorough professional and workaholic,” said Ayaz Muhammad Khan, charge d'affaires at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh.
Ayaz said Khan is an outstanding diplomat of Pakistan and will have an audience with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari before he leaves for Riyadh. Khan has also served as Pakistani ambassador to the Philippines.
The new ambassador, who holds a Master’s degree in international relations, joined Pakistan’s foreign service in Oct. 1982.
He has held various diplomatic assignments in Pakistani missions abroad including Madrid, Sanaa, Washington and Beijing.
The Pakistan Embassy has been one of the few Asian missions, including the Philippines and Nepal, which have been functioning without a full-fledged ambassador for several months.
The ambassador's post fell vacant after Khan's predecessor Umar Khan Ali Sherzai was refused an extension when his contractual tenure ended in Oct. 2010.
Asked about Ishtiaq Andrabi, whose initial appointment as Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia a few months back was mired in controversy, Ayaz confirmed his government had reversed its decision.
Andrabi, a career foreign service officer, was designated Pakistan’s envoy to the Kingdom by former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi, said reports.
Upon Qureshi's departure from the Pakistan's Foreign Office, Andrabi, who was about to leave Islamabad after meeting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari a few months back, was politely asked by Pakistani government not to go to Riyadh.
