Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has announced that Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad will serve as Pakistan’s next foreign secretary.
Currently serving as Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar will take over the top diplomatic post. In a statement on X, DPM Dar expressed full confidence that under his leadership the Foreign Office will continue advancing Pakistan’s interests with clarity, professionalism and purpose.
The current foreign secretary, Amna Baloch, will retire from government service on 17 September 2026 after more than three decades of distinguished service. She has been the 33rd Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. DPM Dar praised her dedicated leadership during an important period in the country’s diplomatic history and wished her well for the future.
After retirement, Amna Baloch will assume charge as Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkiye. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved both assignments.
Asim Iftikhar joined the Foreign Service in 1993 and has built a strong career spanning three decades. He has served in Europe, Africa, Asia and at the United Nations in various key positions. From November 2022 to December 2024 he was Pakistan’s ambassador to France and Monaco as well as permanent delegate to UNESCO.
Before that posting he worked as the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson and later headed the Asia Pacific Division and the United Nations and Economic Diplomacy Division as additional foreign secretary. He also served as ambassador to Thailand from 2017 to 2021. His first diplomatic assignment was in Niamey, Niger.
He has gained particular recognition in multilateral diplomacy through leadership roles at the ministry and important assignments at the UN in New York and Geneva. He also served as permanent representative to UNESCAP in Bangkok and UNESCO in Paris.
Asim Iftikhar is a gold medallist graduate of the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, and the University of the Punjab. Born in Lahore in 1966, he is married and has three daughters.
The leadership transition at the Foreign Office is now set, with both senior diplomats moving into new roles that will continue to shape Pakistan’s international engagement.
