According to highly placed diplomatic sources, Pakistan and Turkey are changing ambassadors in each other’s capital. The sources point out that the government is bringing about important changes in the foreign office and the changing of ambassadors is a part of this reform.
The Turkish government has appointed Prof Dr. Mehmet Paçac as the new ambassador to Pakistan. He would replace Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, who has been designated to an important slot in Turkey’s Foreign Office situated in Ankara. In the same way, Dr. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, who is Pakistan’s current ambassador to Turkey is called back to Islamabad to head the Foreign Office. He is more likely to get a BPS grade of the service in a couple of weeks which would title him to take the slot in the capital of Islamabad. The two countries will soon change their ambassadors in each other’s capital soon.
The sources revealed that Ihsan Mustafa Yardakul who assumed the charge of being an ambassador in January 2018 will be moved to Turkey as the new ambassador. He is considered one of the best and most eligible candidates to fill the vacant position in Ankara. Turkey’s designated ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Mehmet Paçac is a learned and experienced former educationist who had been fighting against Islamophobia for many years now. He started this noble mission after joining the foreign services of Turkey and has done a lot of efforts to strengthen the cause and promote a positive image of Islam in the country. He was a personal representative of the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims. According to sources, ambassador Mehmet Paçac is a Turkish diplomat and university professor. He served as ambassador of Turkey to the Holy Sea from 2014 to 2019. Previously he acted as director-general of Foreign Relations in the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara and Attaché of the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC. He has a PhD degree from the Faculty of Theology of Ankara University where he was a member of the academic staff between 1983 and 2008. He has been a visiting scholar and lecturer at various universities, including Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, Manchester University, the King Saud University in Riyadh, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Bamberg University and Kuala Lumpur International Islamic University. He has specifically worked on hermeneutical questions of interpreting the Muslim holy scripture, the Qur’an, in modern times. The two countries aim to further strengthen their links by changing the ambassadors.
As per the sources, the changing of ambassadors is part of a government’s measures to bring about changes in the foreign office which includes the appointment of new ambassadors and commissioners to various capitals. The process of formally changing the ambassadors will start after the adaptation of the budget this month, the sources further guided about the timeline.
