Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood will be the new Foreign Secretary of the country upon superannuation of Tehmina Janjua, who is retiring later this month.
“We’ve decided to appoint Sohail Mahmood as Foreign Secretary,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, and added that the decision has been taken in consultation with Prime Minister Imran Khan. “Mahmood will assume office upon superannuation of Tehmina Janjua on April 16,” he said.
Qureshi appreciated the services of Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and said she was a very committed, sincere and patriotic officer. She served the country amicably and the Foreign Office acknowledges her remarkable services, he said. “I want to pay tribute to Tehmina Janjua with whom I have been working for the last seven months,” he said, adding that he has learnt a lot from her. “Challenges came up in difficult foreign affairs,” he said. “But she always handled things with courage, bravery, clarity, and with a smile.”
The foreign minister said he has spoken with Mahmood on telephone and congratulated him over his new appointment. “He is a seasoned diplomat,” Qureshi said, pointing out that Mahmood has previously served in various positions in Washington and New York, and has even been Pakistan’s ambassador to Thailand and Turkey.
“Even now, after the Pulwama incident took place, he came to the headquart ers for consultations and I benefited from his experience,” the foreign minister said, and expressed confidence that Mahmood will aptly fulfil his responsibilities as Foreign Secretary. “I am hopeful that he will fulfil his duty towards the country, as well as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s foreign affairs preferences,” he said.
Mahmood has received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Government College Rawalpindi, a Masters of Arts in History from Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University New York.