JEDDAH: The Pakistan government has appointed a career diplomat currently based in Islamabad as its new consul general in Jeddah.

Shehryar Akbar Khan succeeds Aftab A. Khokher who has been posted to Lebanon as Pakistan’s ambassador.

“He is arriving in Jeddah on Wednesday and will take charge on Oct. 21,” Khokher told Arab News on Tuesday.

Khan, who is in his late 40s, is currently one of the directors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “He has served as a diplomat in Algeria, Hungary and, most recently, in Glasgow (Scotland),” said Khokher.

The post of consul general is generally apolitical. On some occasions in the past, the ambassadors have been political appointees. The current Pakistani ambassador, Manzoor ul Haq, is a career diplomat.