Riaz Mohammad Khan holds a master's degree in mathematics and a B.A. (honors) from Punjab University, Lahore. Prior to joining Pakistan's Foreign Service in 1969, Khan taught quantum physics from 1965 to 1969 as assistant professor in the Mathematics Department at Punjab University, Lahore. His diplomatic career began with a posting to

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

in 1970. He then served seven years at Pakistan's Mission 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 ...

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from 1979 to 1986. Khan remained director general of Afghanistan and Soviet affairs at the Foreign Office, during which time he took a sabbatical to serve as a diplomat-in-residence at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of

Diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

. His other assignments include: * served as Pakistan's first ambassador to

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

(1992–1995). * Ambassador to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(1995–1998). * Additional Secretary in charge of international organizations and arms control issues for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998–2002). * Spokesman of the Foreign Office (2000–2001). Khan's last field assignment was as Ambassador of Pakistan to China from 2002 to 2005. He served as Pakistan's foreign secretary from 2005 to 2008. He retired from service in 2008. After his retirement from the Foreign Service, he spent a year as a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. He also served as Pakistan's envoy for "back channel" diplomacy with India from 2009 to 2012.

Books written by Khan

*Untying the Afghan Knot: Negotiating Soviet Withdrawal (Duke University Press, 1991) *Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism and Resistance to Modernity (Woodrow Wilson Center, Johns Hopkins URiaz Mohammad Khan , Wilson Centerniversity Press, Oxford University Press, 2011).

References

Ambassadors of Pakistan to Belgium Ambassadors of Pakistan to China Ambassadors of Pakistan to the European Union Ambassadors of Pakistan to Kazakhstan Ambassadors of Pakistan to Kyrgyzstan Ambassadors of Pakistan to Luxembourg Foreign secretaries of Pakistan Living people University of the Punjab alumni Academic staff of the University of the Punjab Year of birth missing (living people) {{Pakistan-diplomat-stub

Books written by Khan

See also

References