Pakistan ambassador to China returns home to retire

Pakistan's ambassador to China, Naghmana A. Hashmi, left for Pakistan on Sunday after a one-year tenure in Beijing, according to a statement released by the country's embassy in Beijing.

She will be retiring on July 19, according to the statement. Moin-ul-Haque, currently serving as Pakistan's ambassador in Paris, will replace Hashmi as the new envoy to Beijing, according to Pakistani newspaper News International.

During her stay in China, Hashmi proactively promoted and further strengthened deep-rooted friendship with China, cemented economic and trade ties and took concrete steps to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the embassy said.

She personally supervised measures to protect the lives of Pakistani nationals stranded in Wuhan and other parts of China during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the statement.

Hashmi served as Pakistan's ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Luxemburg and Ireland before arriving in China for her ambassadorial assignment. She had earlier served in Beijing from 2003-07 as deputy head of mission.