WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst complimented Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, for his efforts to develop "bridges between Islamabad and Washington". "On behalf of the State Department, I just want to note that the US-Pakistan relationship is in the best place it's been in years, in part, in large part to what Ambassador Masood Khan has done to represent Pakistan, to build bridges between Islamabad and Washington," said Horst during a dinner to say goodbye. The event was organized to honour Khan's service, and officials from the Departments of State and Defense were in attendance. On behalf of the State Department, the US official acknowledged that the two countries' relations, like any long-standing partnership, have encountered friction at times, but "because of you, we know how we can talk through this and we have a framework to talk through friction," she added.
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Following his two-year tenure as Pakistan's highest representative in the United States beginning in February 2022, Khan is expected to leave one of the most coveted diplomatic positions next week on Monday, leaving his deputy to fulfill envoy duties in Washington.
The experienced diplomat was selected for the position by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan in November 2021.
Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, the Additional Foreign Secretary (Middle East and SIFC), has been appointed as envoy to the US.
The State Department official praised Khan and his role in building ties between Pakistan and the United States, saying that both nations had achieved stability and a deepening of their relationship that they had not seen in many years.