Manzoor ul Haq.

A career diplomat and one of Pakistan’s top experts on the Middle East has taken up office as the country’s ambassador in Riyadh.

Manzoor ul Haq, who was born in 1957, was Pakistan’s ambassador to Egypt before taking charge in Riyadh on Jan. 4. He has had 29 years in the diplomatic service.

He served as the director general of Middle Eastern affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. He also served in Syria, Sudan and Moscow. He was the deputy head of mission at the Pakistan High Commission in London.

Haq is a graduate of Peshawar University and joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1985. He is married with three children.

He succeeds Muhammad Naeem Khan, also a career diplomat, who completed his tenure in June 2014. Naeem Khan was later elected as assistant secretary general at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.

On Tuesday, Haq visited Jeddah and addressed the community. By appointing a career diplomat, the Nawaz Sharif government has played by the book. There was talk in the past that he might make a political appointment.

Among the political appointees in the past were Lt. Gen. Mohammad Asad Durrani (2000-2002), Adm. Abdul Aziz Mirza (2002-2005) and Adm. Shahid Karimullah (2005-2009).

Sharif has placed immense importance on Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. The ties have grown stronger under the current government with Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, visiting Pakistan in February last year.

Pakistan, under Sharif, has synchronized its foreign policy with that of Saudi Arabia. The two nations share immense good will and King Abdullah is highly revered in Pakistan because of him being the custodian of the two holy mosques.

Saudi Arabia plays host to 1.6 million Pakistanis who occupy some of the top positions in academia, health care, business, construction, hospitality and the private sector.

Newly appointed Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq, right, addresses the community in Jeddah on Tuesday in the presence of Consul General Aftab Khokher.

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