Mumtaz Zahra Baloch is a Pakistani diplomat currently serving as Spokesperson and Additional Foreign Secretary (Strategic Communication Division and Public Diplomacy) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. Baloch has held various diplomatic positions including Ambassador of Pakistan to Korea, Minister/Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in China, and Counsellor for Political Affairs at the

Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C. The Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United States. The embassy also operates Consulates-General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Education

Baloch holds a master's degree in physics from

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

, a Master's in International Relations from

Fletcher School at Tufts University The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student bo ...

in the US, and a degree from the

École nationale d'administration The (; ENA; ) was a French ''grande école'', created in 1945 by the then Provisional Government of the French Republic, provisional chief of government Charles de Gaulle and principal co-author of the Constitution of France, 1958 Constitution M ...

, France.

Diplomatic career

Baloch served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Korea from 2020 to 2021. Before her current role, she served as the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in China from 2015 to 2020. She also held the position of Political Affairs at the

from 2006 to 2011. Earlier in her career, from 1999 to 2002, she was the Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in Geneva.

Work in Foreign Ministry

Within the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

, Baloch held the positions of Director for the United States, Director for the Security Council and Human Rights, and Director of Strategic Planning in the Office of the Secretary of State. In the years 2014–2015, she took on the role of Director (Academic Programme) and subsequently served as the Director General of the

Foreign Service Academy The Foreign Service Academy () in Islamabad, Pakistan is the training arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. Since its establishment in September 1981, the academy has organized 49 courses of the Foreign Service of Pakistan out of ...

in Islamabad. In November 2022, Baloch was appointed spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replacing Asim Iftikhar.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baloch, Mumtaz Zahra Pakistani diplomats Women diplomats Ambassadors of Pakistan to South Korea The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni University of the Punjab alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan) People from Islamabad Living people Spokespersons for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan) Year of birth missing (living people)