Today: 31 May 2025
23 March 2023
2 mins read

Pakistan recalls Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

A government official said Rathore’s removal had been on the cards since long because he was considered politically aligned with the PTI….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is considering recalling the countrys Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ameer Khurram Rathore, hardly a year after he was posted by former premier Imran Khan.

The process of recall has started but not finalised yet, The News reported.

Rathore was earlier posted as Pakistan’s High Commission in Canada and hardly a month after his settlement there, he was asked to get ready for posting in Riyadh.

He was flown to Saudi Arabia during Khan’s visit, which turned out to be the latter’s last one as Prime Minister.

Rathore had then not formally assumed the charge by the time.

A government official said Rathore’s removal had been on the cards since long because he was considered politically aligned with the PTI.

“He is known as (Khan’s) loyalist,” a well-placed official in the Prime Minister Office told The News.

Rathore was primarily considered close to Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and PTI vice chairman, and had served in a party office for a year by taking leave from the government job some years back, it has been learnt.

A think tank was set up by PTI in Lahore and Rathore served there from 2012 to 2013, The News reported.

Another official said the government got alerted about him after Khan’s revelation during an interaction with journalists a month back where he said he was in touch with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.

How far Khan’s claim was true and whether Rathore played any role in restoring his contact with the Saudi ruler remains unverified, The News reported.

A diplomatic source was, however, dismissive that Rathore could either have that clout or risk his career by playing as a messenger between the opposition leader and the Saudi dignitary.

A source in the Prime Minister’s Office said he was not aware of any special reason other than his affiliation with the PTI.

Rathore is the third consecutive ambassador in Riyadh who is being prematurely recalled. He assumed office on February 15, 2022.

His predecessor Lt Gen (R) Bilal met the same fate. And so too his predecessor, Raja Ali Ejaz, who was suspended weeks before his retirement and recalled at a short notice.

Khan had censured Ejaz during a meeting he held with him.

That decision, however, didn’t go well with the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as some retired diplomats recorded protest at this public humiliation in April 2021.

ALSO READ: Saudi no longer willing to provide Pakistan with ‘easy money’

Previous Story

Saudi no longer willing to provide Pakistan with ‘easy money’

Next Story

First India-GCC Senior Officers Meeting held in Riyadh

Latest from -Top News

World needs Dubai’s ambition: Morgan

Piers Morgan has hailed Dubai’s transformation as an example of what visionary leadership can achieve. British broadcaster Piers Morgan has praised the extraordinary ambition and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin

Mohammed honours football champions

Ruler of Dubai hails players as role models during palace reception His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, received the

Abu Dhabi sets 2050 energy vision

Abu Dhabi unveils AED400 billion energy roadmap, inked climate finance pact ahead of 2026 UN Water Conference Abu Dhabi has unveiled a sweeping strategic framework to transform its energy and water sector

Gargash: UAE’s pragmatism sets regional example

Anwar Gargash says the UAE stands as a beacon of what is possible when pragmatism and vision come together. As political instability, economic fragmentation and rapid technological change continue to reshape the

US flag returns to Damascus

Billions in energy deals and lifted sanctions mark Syria’s reintegration, as US reopens embassy and declares the war-torn nation “open for business” under new regional partnerships. The United States has reopened its
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Pakistan staring at looming gas crisis

Pakistan LNG Limited’s (PLL) has also decided not to procure

Taliban see foreign hand behind Pak embassy attack

Mujahid said that during the investigation, they learned that the