Syed Tariq Fatemi (Urdu: طارق فاطمى ; Bengali: তারিক ফাতেমি; born 9 July 1944), is a Pakistani diplomat who most recently served as Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif till the government completed its term. He previously served as Pakistan Ambassador to the United States and to the European Union.[1][2][3]
Tariq Fatemi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 7 June 2013 – 28 July 2017 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan |
| Pakistan Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 8 September 1999 – 16 December 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Riaz Khokhar |
| Succeeded by | Maliha Lodhi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Syed Tariq Fatemi 9 July 1944 Dacca, East Bengal, British Indian Empire |
| Nationality | 
Pakistani Bengali |
| Political party | PMLN (1993-present) |
| Spouse | Zahra Wadood Fatemi |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka Punjab University Moscow State University |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Biography
editBorn in Dhaka, British India (present-day Bangladesh), Fatemi went on to serve as a career foreign service officer and has held diplomatic missions throughout his career.[4] In addition, he also provided his foreign policy expertise to represent Pakistan's case at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Aside from foreign service, he has briefly taught courses on International relations at the Foreign Service Academy and as well as courses on Security studies at the National Defence University and the Quaid-i-Azam University. A key member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), he is the author of the book, "The Future of Pakistan", and has repeatedly appeared in news media to comment on foreign affairs of the country.[4] He is an expert on Russian studies and is fluent in Russian language.[3]
Controversy surrounded him during Nawaz Sharif's tenure.[citation needed]
Career
editHis career as a Pakistani diplomat is enriched with assignments in Pakistan Missions abroad, including New York, Moscow (twice), Beijing and Washington (twice). He served as Additional Foreign Secretary (Americas and Europe Divisions) and worked in the Prime Minister's Office, in charge of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Defense Production.[3]
From 1982 to 1986, he served as the delegate to the UN General Assembly Sessions and attended several Non-Aligned and OIC Conferences, while being the member of the UN-sponsored Geneva negotiations on Afghanistan.
In 1999, Fatemi was promoted to the rank of a Federal Secretary—the highest rank in the country's civil service.[3]
He also served as the High Commissioner (Ambassador) of Pakistan to Zimbabwe and later served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the US, Jordan, Belgium, Luxembourg and then to European Union (Brussels) and retired in 2004.[3]
After his retirement, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and assisted the party on various foreign policy matters.
In April 2017, the Prime Minister's Office issued directives to remove Fatemi from his post as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, for his alleged role in Dawn Leaks.[5] Earlier, an inquiry committee had held Fatemi responsible for the Dawn Leaks.[6] The allegation was rejected by Fatemi in a farewell letter.[7]
On 20 April 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Syed Tariq Fatemi as his special assistant on foreign affairs.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi receives German Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Stephan Steinlein". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan website. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Will the real Foreign Minister please stand up?". Dawn (newspaper). 13 June 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "CURRICULAM VITAE OF SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRIME MINISTER AMBASSADOR SYED TARIQ FATEMI" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment.org website
- ^ a b Participants of the Brookings Institution. "Participants of the Brookings Institution (includes profile of Tariq Fatemi)" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Tariq Fatemi removed from post by PM following inquiry into Dawn story". Dawn (newspaper). 29 April 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Inquiry report holds Tariq Fatemi responsible for Dawn leaks". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 20 April 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Tariq Fatemi rejects inquiry committee allegations against him in farewell letter". Dawn (newspaper). 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "PM Shehbaz appoints Tariq Fatemi as SAPM on foreign affairs". Business Recorder (newspaper). 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.