*ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign policy dilemma can be best explained withthe appointment of Ali Jehangir Siddiqui as an Ambassador to US. *
*The appointment of US Ambassador is the most critical part of foreignPolicy where he has to compete with the World’s most experienced diplomatsand leaders. *
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday reportedly approved theappointment of Ali Jahangir Siddiqui, son of prominent businessman JahangirSiddiqui, as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States.
Ali has been serving Abbasi as a special assistant, advising the primeminister on economic and business matters.
Siddiqui is chairman of JS Bank Ltd and son of stockbroker-turned-bankerJahangir Siddiqui. He has previously been a director in Airblue — which isalso connected to the prime minister’s family — Lucky Cement, Azgard Nine,and numerous other companies. In 2014, he was honoured as a Young GlobalLeader by the World Economic Forum.
He will replace Aizaz Chaudhry in Washington, a career diplomat whopreviously served as a foreign secretary before being appointed theambassador to the US.
Chaudhry’s career as a foreign service officer spans 36 years ofmultilateral and bilateral experience. He served as foreign secretary ofPakistan from December 2013 to March 2017 and previously served asspokesperson of the foreign ministry.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chaudhry had served as additionalforeign secretary of UN and disarmament affairs, and as director general ofrelations with South Asian countries.
Chaudhry’s other overseas assignments include Pakistan’s deputy permanentrepresentative to the UN in New York and as ambassador to the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has strongly criticisedAli Jahangir Siddiqui’s nomination as ambassador to America, terming themove as an epitome of cynicism and nepotism.
According to the details issued by party’s central media department, PTIspokesperson has made trenchant criticism of the incumbent governmentstating that Ali Siddiqui’s nomination is reprehensible and worst exampleof nepotism.
Before him, the spokesperson said, an absconder and money launderer hadbeen made a member of the upper house. “Apart from being a business partnerof the incumbent prime minister and a relative of Mir Shakeel, what are thecredentials of Ali Jahangir Siddiqui?” asked PTI spokesperson.
Pak-US relations are undergoing serious challenges with each passing day,he said, asserting that nomination of an experienced and competentrepresentative was imperative to keep the relations between the twocountries on the right track.
“Such type of nomination at a very sensitive slot is nothing but a jokewith this nation,” he lamented. “PML-N’s model is erected on the principalsof nepotism and the self-styled champions of democracy are running mattersthrough Iqama holders like Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal,” he added.