LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday against the appointment of Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Ali Jahangir Siddiqui as Pakistan’s new ambassador to the United States (US). The petitioner contended that the appointment was made without consultation with the federal cabinet. He said that Siddiqui lacked the requisite experience to serve as an ambassador to the US, requesting the court to declare the appointment null and void. Siddiqui’s appointment as the country’s new ambassador to the United States was announced on Thursday. Former foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhary was serving as the ambassador at Washington D.C. before he retired last month. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has already given approval to Siddiqui’s nomination. The new envoy holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University, US. In August 2017, Siddiqui was appointed as a special assistant to the premier with the status of a state minister. Published in Daily Times, March 10th 2018.