ISLAMABAD: Only a few days after Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the 74th session of United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s foreign office announced the appointment of Ambassador Munir Akram as the country’s permanent representative to UN on Monday.
A veteran diplomat, Akram will replace Dr. Maleeha Lodhi who became Pakistan’s ambassador to the world’s most prestigious intergovernmental forum in February 2015. The coveted diplomatic post was also held by Akram for six years under the Pervez Musharraf regime.
It is not clear what prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to make the change within a few days after wrapping up his trip to the United States where he met a number of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, and highlighted the Kashmir issue.
However, Pakistan’s foreign ministry also announced several other appointments on Monday.
Lodhi, who was originally chosen to represent her country at the UN by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) administration, wrote in a twitter post: “It has been an honor to serve the country & am grateful for the opportunity to do so for over four years. Representing Pakistan at the world’s most important multilateral forum was a great privilege.”
She added that she “had planned to move on after UNGA following a successful visit by the PM.”
“I am humbled by the appreciation I have received for the PM’s visit and the support I have also received over the years,” she continued. “I wish my successor Munir Akram the best of luck.”
Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations
Pakistan appoints new ambassador to United Nations
- Replaces Dr. Maleeha Lodhi with Ambassador Munir Akram
- Lodhi says she ‘had planned to move on after UNGA following a successful visit by the PM’
Police rescue 11 abducted bus passengers after gunbattle in Pakistan’s katcha region
- The passengers were seized when gunmen intercepted a bus traveling on a key highway linking Punjab to Balochistan
- Authorities deployed armored vehicles, surveillance drones as dense fog complicated the rescue operation in the area
KARACHI: Pakistani police on Tuesday rescued 11 bus passengers who were abducted by an organized criminal gang, known locally as katcha dacoits, from near the border separating the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, officials said.
The passengers were seized on Monday night when gunmen intercepted the bus traveling on the Ghotki–Guddu–Kashmore Link Road, a strategic highway in the country’s south. The bus was en route from Sadiqabad in Punjab province to the Balochistan capital, Quetta.
The abduction occurred in the marshy area of Ghotki, a riverine territory known as the katcha region along the Indus River, long regarded as a sanctuary for heavily armed criminal gangs.
“After a police encounter with the bandits, 11 abducted passengers have been recovered,” Ghotki district police chief Anwar Khetran told media.
He added an exchange of fire erupted near Sonmiani village during the large-scale police operation. Two of the rescued passengers sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
It was not known how many passengers were aboard the bus when dacoits abducted it.
Authorities said a heavy police contingent using armored vehicles and surveillance drones was deployed and that the operation would continue until all perpetrators were captured or killed. However, Khetran noted that dense fog was hampering visibility.
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile abductions targeting travelers in the difficult-to-govern katcha areas of Upper Sindh, particularly in the Ghotki, Kashmore and Shikarpur districts.
Despite periodic crackdowns involving police and paramilitary forces, criminal gangs operating in the rugged terrain have persisted, posing a continuing challenge to law and order.
