Retired Lt Gen Bilal Akbar is appointed as the new ambassador to Saudi Arabia by the government. Moreover Ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz who is retiring from Service in May will be replaced by Gen Akbar, Mr Ejaz, a career diplomat, has been the ambassador in Riyadh since January 2019.
The Position of the brand ambassadors in Riyadh is oftenly led by Military Officers,reflecting the fact that defence ties form the bedrock of the strong bilateral ties, although the posting has at times remained with diplomats from the foreign service as well.
Therefore, currently most of the quota for non-careerists is being utilised by the retired military officials as The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government has infrequently made political appointments against ambassadorial positions.
Moreover, Last year in December Gen Akbar retired from the army, his last appointment was as the chairman of Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF).
General Bilal Akbar had a vivid Career in military as a three-star general he also served as chief of general staff and commander of Rawalpindi-based 10 Corps. In September 2019, he was posted as POF chairman, months before Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa started his extended tenure.
Gen Bilal Akbar’s Appointment has been recommended by General Headquarters,
Saudi Arabia had atypically asked Pakistan to repay the loan by not agreeing to its rollover, as per the initial understanding. Pakistani workers in the kingdom too were laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has been getting closer to New Delhi as minister Narendra Modi was invited to the key financial conference and the two countries launched a Strategic Partnership Council to guide their relations.
The Upcoming Relations guide can be challenging for Gen Bilal Akbar.
