Tehmina Janjua, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, was today appointed as the country's first woman Foreign Secretary.
Janjua will replace incumbent Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who will be taking charge as Pakistan's new ambassador to the United States, Foreign Office said tonight.
"Tehmina Janjua will assume the post of Foreign Secretary in the first week of March 2017," it said in a statement.
Earlier, local media reports had said Pakistan's high commissioner to India Abdul Basit and its envoy to China Masood Khalid were among the front-runners for the top diplomat’s post.
Janjua, a seasoned diplomat with a career spanning over 32 years, holds a Master's degrees from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, and Columbia University, New York.
Janjua has rich experience of working in bilateral and multilateral domains both at Headquarters and Missions abroad, the statement said.
She also served as spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 2011.
Janjua served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy from December 2011 to October 2015.
At present she is serving as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva since October 2015.
Last year, she had raised Kashmir issue at the UNHRC and was engaged in a war of words with Indian diplomats.
