ISLAMABAD: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was appointed as the spokesperson of the Foreign Office. She has replaced Asim Iftikhar, who has been appointed as Pakistan’s Ambassador to France.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch is currently serving as Additional Secretary Asia & Pacific, in the Foreign Office and she has previously served as ambassador of Pakistan to the Republic of Korea (2020-21), minister/deputy head of mission at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing (2015-20), counsellor for political affairs at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington (2006-11) and second secretary at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations, Geneva (1999-2002).
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she has served as director (America), Director (Security Council and Human Rights) and director (Strategic Planning) in the Office of the Foreign Secretary.
During 2014-15, she served as director (Academic Programme) and later as director general of the Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad.
Baloch holds Masters degree in Physics from the Punjab University, Lahore, a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA and a degree from the prestigious Ecole Nationale d’ Administration, France.
Also the Foreign Office, for the first time, appointed a deputy spokesperson. “It has been decided that Saima Sayed, Director General (Strategic Communication Division) will serve as the deputy spokesperson of the ministry in addition to her own duties, with immediate effect and until further orders,” read a notification.
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