ISLAMABAD – Intense lobbying is underway in the Foreign Office for the top slot of the foreign secretary, with two senior diplomats using their connections with the higher authorities to clinch the coveted post, while incumbent Salman Bashir is trying hard to retain the post.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had already decided to reshuffle the Foreign Ministry, including the change of hands at the foreign secretary’s office. In the wake of the decision, various names are being considered, with Ambassador to Germany Shahid Kamal leading the race.
However, a senior official in the Foreign Office said no decision had yet been made for the replacement of the foreign secretary. He said the reason was the ongoing intense lobbying by the incumbent foreign secretary to retain his slot until he got retired after a year, as well as efforts by the other two senior diplomats, Shahid Kamal and Masood Khan, the ambassador to China. “If the foreign secretary is replaced, Khan will be the likely replacement, as he enjoys the confidence of the government and other important official quarters because of his brilliant career,” the official said.
However, he said Bashir also had important connections that mattered, including the presidency and the military circle, so there were good chances that he would be retained. He said technically the foreign secretary could be sent to important world capitals like Washington, Beijing, London, New Delhi and Moscow as all the envoys there were of the same grade, but one at the foreign secretary’s office was obviously the boss with all the diplomatic missions worldwide reporting to him and taking orders.
“Bashir, whose career will end in a year, seems in no mood to finish it as an ambassador, no matter of which country, after being in the top office of the ministry for three years,” the official said. “As for the foreign secretary himself, he would have happily accepted being appointed the ambassador to the US, if the government had not extended the tenure of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s current ambassador in Washington,” the official said.
