Pakistan to appoint former AJK President as envoy in Washington

Islamabad, Nov 5 (IANS) After US President Joe Biden recently nominated Donald Armin as the new Ambassador to Pakistan, Pakistan is also on the verge of changing its current envoy to US with Sardar Masood Khan, former President of 'Azad' Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Current Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan will soon be completing his tenure and reports reveal that Islamabad has already suggested the name of Sardar Masood Khan as his replacement.

Ambassador Khan presented his credentials to then US President Donald Trump in January 2019 and stayed in office for a term of three years.

Now, with his tenure ending, Sardar Masood Khan will be replacing him as the new envoy to Washington. The decision has come as a surprise to many as Masood Khan is someone who as President has held the highest political office in AJK and is now planning to accept the post of Ambassador to Washington.

Analysts believe that by appointing Sardar Masood Khan as Ambassador to the US, Pakistan wants to send a strong signal that it wants to highlight the issue of Kashmir.

Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to gather support on the issue of Kashmir against India, has not worked well in the past. Pakistan's Foreign Office also expressed its disapproval of the failure of its envoy in the US for failing to create contacts between Biden and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

However, the timing of the appointment of Sardar Masood Khan seems a little out of proportion as the US is currently focused on the changing situation in Afghanistan.

In a recent hearing in the US House of Representatives and the Senate, lawmakers have raised serious reservations on Pakistan's alleged role in the Taliban victory. Interestingly, the Biden administration did not oppose the proposal as well.

However, the process of appointment of Sardar Masood Khan is underway as the Pakistani Embassy in Washington has received his nomination papers. As per details, the it is expected to submit the papers to the US State Department on Monday.

While the nomination of Sardar Masood Khan to become the Ambassador to US has raised eyebrows, the move is being seen as Pakistan's efforts to have stronger engagements with the US to raise the issue of Kashmir and build their case against India.