FO rejects insinuations Pakistan 'removed' Maleeha Lodhi as UN envoy

ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan Foreign Office on Friday rejected speculations that the country's  Permanent Representative to the United Nations  Maleeha Lodhi was removed unceremoniously from her position.

 "There is no truth whatsoever in insinuations that Dr Maleeha Lodhi was ‘removed’ for any reason," said spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal in a Tweet.

Also read: Munir Akram replaces Maleeha Lodhi as Pakistan's representative to UN

Explaining the reason behind the new appointment in the UN, the spokesman said Maleeha Lodhi had completed her tenure. 

Dr Faisal applauded  Dr Lodhi by repeating what Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said about the veteran diplomat.

"She completed her tenure and as FM has said, she served Pakistan with distinction and commitment and organised the Prime Minister’s successful UNGA visit with skill and dedication," the spokesman said in the tweet.

The foreign ministry on Monday said Munir Akram is due to replace Dr Maleeha Lodhi as Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Akram, who has previously served at the same post from 2002 to 2008, would be stationed at the UN's New York headquarters. 

He specialises in multilateral diplomacy with considerable experience over the years at the UN's New York and Geneva chapters.