ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) has submitted a summary to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposing the appointment of 19 new ambassadors and consuls general for various countries. The prime minister is expected to approve the list based on recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Rahim Hayat Qureshi, currently Secretary of the Board of Investment, is nominated for the ambassadorial role in Brussels, the EU headquarters.

Other key appointments include Asima Rabbani as ambassador to the Philippines, Abdul Hameed Bhutta to Japan, and Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, a former FO spokesperson, to Indonesia. Najeeb Durrani is proposed for Ghana, Moazzam Shah for South Korea, and Malik Muhammad Farooq for South Africa.

Syed Adil Gilani is slated for Morocco, Syed Haider Shah for the Netherlands, Amir Shaukat for Egypt, Shehryar Akbar for the Czech Republic, and Marghoob Saleem Butt for Switzerland. Tariq Karim and Aqsa Nawaz are designated for African countries.

For consular positions, Zaman Mehdi is proposed for Chicago, Wajid Hashmi for Melbourne, Tanveer Bhatti for Chengdu, China, and Imtiaz Gondal for Manchester.

The reshuffling reflects Pakistan’s focus on strengthening its diplomatic presence worldwide.