Ambassador Masood Khan Visits the San Francisco Bay Area
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, the Honorable Masood Khan recently filled the position vacated by Mr Asad Majeed Khan on March 24, 2022, making him the 30th Ambassador of the country to Washington. He was in the San Francisco Bay Area to attend the OPEN Silicon Valley’s Invest In Pakistan Forum 2022 event in Sunnyvale on May 15, 2022.
To add a little history, the first person to represent Pakistan in this ambassadorial position was Mr M.A. H. Ispahani who served from October 1947 to February 1952. And the longest serving top Pakistani diplomats in America (I believe) have been Lt Gen (Retd.) Sahabzada Yaqub Khan (1973 to 1979) and Mr Ejaz Azim (1981 to 1986). It may be said that in order of importance, Pakistan’s diplomatic focus has been on three capitals - Washington, Beijing, and Riyadh. It is important to note that Ambassador Masood Khan has now served as the top diplomat in two of the three capitals (Washington and Beijing).
This writer caught up with the Ambassador at a large Eid celebration in the Bay Area the night before the OPEN Forum event. He was accompanied by the Deputy Consul General of Pakistan (Los Angeles Consulate) Mr Shahras Asim who introduced him. Under normal circumstances the Ambassador would have been accompanied by the Consul General, but with the sad demise of Mr Abdul Jabbar Memon, that position is presently vacant. Shahras said that he was glad that the emcee was able to pronounce his name correctly, and added that after the unfortunate passing of Mr Memon, he is currently the acting Consul General. He explained that he has been busy with multiple engagements in the community recently (we were expecting him in Roseville that afternoon too at a Pakistan Cultural Festival) and he hoped that a new Consul General would fill the currently vacant position soon. He also praised the Pakistani community on the West Coast saying that it was the best, the most successful, and the least demanding (was he talking about us?). Shahras introduced the Ambassador and invited him to speak.
Ambassador Masood Khan in his brief address said that he had arrived in the area a couple of hours before and was just getting oriented. He thanked Javed Ellahie and all the distinguished people present for the invitation. He said that the achievements of the Pakistani American community in the area are recognized globally and need to be applauded. He also thanked the host country (USA) for making this success possible.
The Ambassador lauded the technology sector of this area and its contribution in the emergence of the high-tech business on the economic landscape of Pakistan. He also recognized the efforts of our community in creating meaningful relationships with other communities in the area and for stepping into the mainstream not just as an economic force but in the local political environment as well. He added that the diversity in the United States is being enhanced by the presence of the Pakistani community and it gives him great pleasure to meet our people here.
Hailing from Azad Kashmir, born in Rawalakot in Pooch District, Ambassador Masood Khan is a very articulate diplomat with a great command of the English language. After a brief stint in journalism, he has been a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan since 1980 and his distinguished career since then has included the role of Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the United Nations. He has tackled many challenges during his long association with the Foreign Service. It is no secret that Pakistan’s biggest challenge currently is economic. And one is glad that Ambassador Masood Khan was concentrating on this particular area during this trip to the west coast. We wish him well.
