ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar has urged exercising due caution in reporting on diplomatic matters and strictly avoiding speculative reporting.
Responding to media queries, the Spokesperson stated that the credentials ceremonies for incoming Heads of Diplomatic Missions are held according to State and diplomatic protocols.
“Such ceremonies are scheduled in consultation with the relevant Missions and in conformity with existing diplomatic practices and procedures,” he added.
The spokesperson said that the credentials ceremony for the next batch of Ambassadors/Heads of Missions will take place in the near future.
The Foreign Office spokesperson was responding to reports that President Arif Alvi was not accepting the credentials of the US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Armin Blome who arrived in Islamabad on May 23.
The news report claimed that the US envoy has submitted his documents regarding his posting to the Foreign Office and taken up his assignment in Islamabad, but the President has not yet accepted his credentials
The reports further claimed that an impression was given that the president, under the influence of PTI leadership was reluctant to receive the credentials. It said the president could recuse himself or shift the responsibility to the prime minister or the foreign minister.
It mentioned that some other new ambassadors were also waiting for the occasion to present their credentials. The Foreign Office’s Protocol Division has made arrangements for submitting the credentials in a batch of more than one or two envoys.
David Blome is the first US full-fledged ambassador who has been designated to Pakistan’s federal capital in four years. He is a career ambassador and seasoned diplomat.
Blome will lead the US mission in Pakistan in ongoing efforts to deepen connections between the two countries and work with the government of Pakistan towards a more stable, secure, and prosperous future.
