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Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations

Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations
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In this picture taken 07 March 2003, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Munir Akram delivers a speech to the United Nations Security Council in New York. (File/ AFP)
Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations
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In this picture, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi can be seen with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at a news conference in New York on September 29, 2019. Pakistan replaced Lodhi as the country’s permanent representative at the United Nations with Ambassador Munir Akram, according to an announcement by the country's foreign office on Monday. (Photo Courtesy: Dr. Maleeha Lodhi’s Twitter Account)
Updated 01 October 2019

Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations

Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations
  • Replaces Dr. Maleeha Lodhi with Ambassador Munir Akram
  • Lodhi says she ‘had planned to move on after UNGA following a successful visit by the PM’

ISLAMABAD: Only a few days after Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the 74th session of United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s foreign office announced the appointment of Ambassador Munir Akram as the country’s permanent representative to UN on Monday.
A veteran diplomat, Akram will replace Dr. Maleeha Lodhi who became Pakistan’s ambassador to the world’s most prestigious intergovernmental forum in February 2015. The coveted diplomatic post was also held by Akram for six years under the Pervez Musharraf regime.
It is not clear what prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to make the change within a few days after wrapping up his trip to the United States where he met a number of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, and highlighted the Kashmir issue.
However, Pakistan’s foreign ministry also announced several other appointments on Monday.
Lodhi, who was originally chosen to represent her country at the UN by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) administration, wrote in a twitter post: “It has been an honor to serve the country & am grateful for the opportunity to do so for over four years. Representing Pakistan at the world’s most important multilateral forum was a great privilege.”
She added that she “had planned to move on after UNGA following a successful visit by the PM.”
“I am humbled by the appreciation I have received for the PM’s visit and the support I have also received over the years,” she continued. “I wish my successor Munir Akram the best of luck.”