WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): US President Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat Natalie Baker as the next United States Ambassador to Pakistan, forwarding her name to the US Senate for consideration and confirmation.
The White House announced Baker’s nomination on November 9, naming her as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Baker is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. Her nomination will now go through the Senate confirmation process. She can formally assume the ambassadorial role after receiving approval from lawmakers.
Currently serving as the US Chargé d’Affaires in Pakistan, Baker took over as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Islamabad on August 16, 2024.
Before her assignment in Pakistan, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar. Her diplomatic career also includes several senior roles at the US Department of State and American missions abroad.
These positions include Director of the Office of North African Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Deputy Chief and Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Libya, and Deputy Director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US Consulate in Dubai.
Baker also served as Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in Kuwait, where she worked with the US Department of Defense to support the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
In her current role in Islamabad, she has been involved in diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and the United States, as both countries continue discussions on trade, investment, security and regional developments.
Donald Blome was the last US diplomat to serve as ambassador to Pakistan. Baker’s confirmation would formally fill the position following his tenure.
