Pakistan has appointed a woman as its ambassador to Türkiye for the first time in the country’s history. Veteran diplomat Amna Baloch, who retired as Pakistan’s 33rd Foreign Secretary on 17 September, has taken charge as Pakistan’s first female ambassador to Türkiye, beginning her assignment in Ankara on 2 November 2026.
Turkish media highlighted the appointment as a historic development in Pakistan’s diplomatic representation in Ankara, noting that Islamabad is seeking to deepen its longstanding strategic partnership with Türkiye across political, economic, defence and cultural fields. For Pakistan’s Foreign Service, it is a visible milestone: women have served as foreign secretary and as envoys to major capitals, but Ankara — one of the country’s most important postings — had never before been held by a woman.
Who is Amna Baloch: from the Foreign Service of 1991 to the top of the Foreign Office
Amna Baloch joined Pakistan’s Foreign Service in 1991 and built a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades. She holds a master’s degree in History from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, and an MBA from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Her overseas postings included assignments in Copenhagen and Colombo, a term as Consul General of Pakistan in Chengdu, China (2014–2017), High Commissioner to Malaysia (2019–2023), and Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg (May 2023 to September 2024). She assumed charge as the 33rd Foreign Secretary of Pakistan on 11 September 2024 and became only the second woman to hold that office after Tehmina Janjua. She is married and has two daughters.
The Ankara posting: announced in September, charge taken on 2 November
The decision to send Baloch to Ankara was announced on 9 September 2026 by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who said the veteran diplomat would assume the assignment after her retirement from government service. Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was named as her successor as Foreign Secretary.
In Ankara, Baloch succeeds Dr. Yousaf Junaid, who had presented his credentials to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in December 2022. She will present her own credentials to President Erdoğan to formally begin her tenure.
President Zardari’s meeting and the $5 billion trade target
Before her departure, President Asif Ali Zardari received the Ambassador-designate at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad. Congratulating her on the appointment, the President acknowledged her successful tenure as Foreign Secretary and called for further strengthening Pakistan–Türkiye relations.
The President set out a concrete economic goal: achieving the mutually agreed target of $5 billion in bilateral trade, alongside expanded investment and deeper cooperation in energy, agriculture, livestock, mining, ship-breaking, information technology, defence industries and special economic zones. He also asked the Ambassador-designate to maintain close engagement with the Pakistani diaspora, students and businesses in Türkiye, ensuring effective consular outreach and timely assistance.
Why the Türkiye posting matters for Pakistan
Pakistan and Türkiye share one of Islamabad’s closest bilateral relationships, built on historical ties, cultural affinity and regular high-level consultations. The two countries cooperate extensively in defence, trade and technology — Pakistan’s recent outreach to Turkish firms on 5G and digital partnership shows the economic side of the relationship is expanding as well.
Sending one of the country’s most senior career diplomats — and, for the first time, a woman — to Ankara signals how much weight Islamabad places on the relationship. Her brief from the presidency is clear: push the $5 billion trade goal, look after the diaspora and students, and carry Pakistan’s case in a capital that sits at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. With the $5 billion trade target on the table and a new ambassador presenting credentials in the coming weeks, the Pakistan–Türkiye partnership enters its next chapter.
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