Abdullah Jan
Islamabad: Ambassador Tahir Andrabi this week made his final appearance as Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson, formally handing over the spokesperson’s office to Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan before taking charge as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.
Addressing his final weekly press briefing, Andrabi expressed gratitude for the cooperation and support he received from journalists and the diplomatic press corps during his tenure, describing the professional relationships developed during his time at the Foreign Office as among the lasting highlights of his assignment.
His departure marks a transition from a highly visible national diplomatic communications role to a senior multilateral posting that will place him at the centre of Pakistan’s engagement with a wide range of international institutions.
In Geneva, Andrabi will represent Pakistan at major United Nations and international organisations, including the UN Human Rights Council, UNHCR, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
His responsibilities will also extend to Pakistan’s engagement with the World Economic Forum, adding an important economic and global policy dimension to his new assignment.
One of Andrabi’s immediate responsibilities will be linked to Pakistan’s current presidency of the UN Conference on Disarmament (CD), the multilateral body dealing with issues of international peace and security, including arms control and disarmament.
Having already chaired proceedings of the Conference on Disarmament, Andrabi is due to preside over its concluding sessions in Geneva next week.
Following the Geneva proceedings, he will travel to New York to present the Conference on Disarmament’s annual report and draft resolution to the UN General Assembly.
Pakistan’s presidency of the Conference on Disarmament will continue through December this year, giving Andrabi an early opportunity to contribute to one of the country’s most important multilateral diplomatic responsibilities.
The assignment comes at a time when questions surrounding strategic stability, arms control and emerging security technologies have assumed renewed importance on the international agenda.
During his final briefing, Andrabi thanked members of the diplomatic press corps for their sustained cooperation throughout his tenure as spokesperson.
His tenure involved regular engagement with journalists on Pakistan’s foreign policy, diplomatic relations and developments at regional and international levels, making the weekly briefing an important channel between the Foreign Office and the national media.
With the formal handover to Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan, the spokesperson’s office now enters a new phase under an experienced diplomat.
Andrabi, meanwhile, takes with him the institutional experience of having served as the public face of Pakistan’s foreign policy and will now carry that experience into a broader multilateral arena.
His Geneva assignment is expected to place particular emphasis on Pakistan’s engagement with international organisations and forums where diplomacy increasingly intersects with human rights, humanitarian affairs, health, labour, trade, development, climate and global security.
As he concluded his final briefing, Andrabi expressed confidence in Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan’s ability to lead the spokesperson’s office with professional distinction, while the Foreign Office begins the transition to a new chapter in its public diplomacy.
