Abdul Basit’s letter criticising Pakistan envoy to US emerges
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s former ambassador to India, Abdul Basit, has described the country’s envoy to the US, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, as the “worst foreign secretary ever” in a scathing letter that has been widely shared on social media.
The letter listed several reasons why Chaudhry was “not made for the delicate profession of diplomacy”, including the joint statement issued by India and Pakistan after a 2015 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then premier Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, Russia, that referred to an agreement on the national security advisers discussing “all issues connected to terrorism” but contained no reference to the Kashmir issue.
Basit, who opted for early retirement and was replaced in New Delhi by Sohail Mahmood, has been silent on the letter since it began circulating on social media on Monday. The influential Dawn newspaper quoted its sources in the Foreign Office as saying that the letter is genuine.
Basit and Chaudhry share some history – in December 2013, Basit was widely tipped to become the foreign secretary when the government chose Chaudhry for the post at the last minute.
In February this year, the government picked Basit’s junior Tehmina Janjua as the country’s first woman foreign secretary even though Basit had again been tipped for the post. At the same time, Chaudhry was named Pakistan’s envoy to the US.
Basit called for Chaudhry to be removed as the ambassador to the US “in Pakistan’s interest”. It added, “If not so, you should not be given extension beyond your superannuation on 27 February 2018. May Allah help Pakistan when people like you with weak and dubious credentials are at such important positions.”