Maleeha Lodhi, who has held the office since 2015, announces her exit on Twitter
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday approved the appointment of Munir Akram as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, replacing Dr. Maleeha Lodhi who had held the position since February 2015.
The announcement follows a whirlwind tour of New York by P.M. Khan where he attended the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly to further the cause of India-held Kashmir, which has been under a communications lockdown since Aug. 5. The government has not voiced any reason for Dr. Lodhi’s replacement, but she posted on Twitter that she had always intended to leave the position following the UNGA.
“It has been an honor to serve the country & am grateful for the opportunity to do so for over four years,” she said. “Representing Pakistan at the world’s most important multilateral forum was a great privilege. I had planned to move on after UNGA following a successful visit by the P.M.,” she added.
She also thanked the people of Pakistan for appreciating her work during Khan’s U.S. visit and vowed to “continue serving the country.” She added: “I am humbled by the appreciation I have received for the P.M.’s visit and the support I have also received over the years. I wish my successor Munir Akram the best of luck!”
Lodhi’s replacement, Akram, is no stranger to the U.N., having previously served in the same position from 2002 to 2008. The 74-year-old is a former bureaucrat who joined Pakistan’s Foreign Service in 1967.