ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appears satisfied with the normal bureaucratic process, albeit at a slow pace, through which its ambassador to the United States- Masood Khan is getting agreement, and says there is no truth in Indian media reports that the process is blocked by Washington.
A diplomatic source at the Foreign Office told The News that a decision is expected from the US State Department soon which will be forwarded to the Foreign Office through the normal diplomatic process.
“Ambassador Masood Khan is a highly skilled diplomat with over 40 years of experience in both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy. Their agreement is being processed in the US system", a Foreign Office spokesperson said in response to Indian media on Tuesday.
Masood Khan's agreement was sent by the Foreign Office three months ago in November after Prime Minister Imran Khan named him as ambassador to the US. Khan will replace Dr Asad Majeed Khan, who is currently leading the country's mission in Washington since 2019.
While it usually takes weeks for the US State Department to process an agreement, as the months went by, eyebrows were raised and there was no indication from the State Department about its decision. .
At the same time on January 27, US Congressman Scott Perry wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, which was consequently leaked to select Indian media persons. It was a harsh letter full of venom against Masood Khan that was later picked up by the Indian media, with reports that Washington had blocked the appointment of Masood Khan.