Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Dr Asad Majeed Khan, who has been dubbed the main character behind the “threat letter” controversy by the opposition, has concluded his tenure and returned to Islamabad as planned, reported Dawn citing embassy records.
Khan, who was appointed as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US in January 2019 after Ambassador Ali Jahangir Siddiqui vacated the post, announced his departure from the US and his new posting in Brussels on Twitter on March 25.
“After serving as Pakistan’s Ambassador to US for over three years, I leave today to take up my new post in Brussels,” he wrote.
The diplomat expressed gratitude for being able to represent Pakistan in the US. “I thank all our friends in the US, especially Pakistani diaspora for their support & contributions for a stronger Pak-US partnership,” he added.
The envoy returned to Pakistan two days before Imran Khan’s Islamabad rally on March 27 during which he revealed the purported threat letter to Pakistan and accused the Biden government of conspiring to topple the PTI government.
Pointing out the timing of the ambassador’s return, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had accused Khan of being the main character behind the letter “The so-called ‘threat letter’ was drafted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Asad Majeed was abruptly transferred to Brussels a day before Imran Khan waved the letter at a public meeting.”
“The letter was a drama that was why the ambassador was transferred to Brussels overnight,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Records maintained by Pakistan Embassy showed that “there’s nothing abrupt about Ambassador Khan’s arrival or departure” said a diplomatic source, as reported by Dawn.
While Khan had completed his three-year tenure on January 11, 2022, he stayed in the US till March 24 for the arrival of the newly appointed ambassador Sardar Masood Khan.
Reports of Masood Khan’s appointment as the country’s new envoy had first appeared in the Pakistani media in October 2021. A few weeks later in November, the Pakistan Embassy in Washington confirmed receiving Masood Khan's nomination papers.
