White House nominates Natalie A. Baker, currently serving as US chargé d’affaires in Islamabad, as the next ambassador to Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: The White House has nominated Natalie A. Baker, currently serving as the US chargé d’affaires in Islamabad, to become the next US ambassador to Pakistan, marking a proposed change in the leadership of Washington’s diplomatic mission in the country.
The nomination was included in a list of nominations and withdrawals sent to the US Senate, according to an announcement published on the White House website.
Baker assumed charge as chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Islamabad in January 2025. She had arrived in Pakistan in August 2024 to serve as deputy chief of mission.
Before her assignment in Pakistan, Baker served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from August 2021 to July 2024. She also held the position of director of the Office of North African Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
Her diplomatic career includes several senior assignments across the Middle East and North Africa. She previously served as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the US Mission to Libya, deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US Consulate in Dubai and economic counsellor at the US Embassy in Kuwait.
Baker also served as political and economic counsellor in Libya from 2009 to 2011, during the normalisation of diplomatic relations following a nearly 30-year pause. She remained in the country until the Libyan Revolution prompted the US Embassy to evacuate in February 2011.
Her other assignments included working as a special assistant in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, a consular officer in Islamabad and a cultural affairs officer in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Baker’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She is also a 2017 distinguished graduate of the National War College at the National Defence University.
Her foreign language skills include Arabic, Spanish, Farsi and Russian, reflecting her professional experience across several regions.
The nomination now places Baker in line for the top US diplomatic position in Pakistan. Her appointment, however, remains subject to the US Senate’s confirmation process.
If confirmed, she will take over as the US ambassador, moving from her current role as the embassy’s chargé d’affaires to the highest-ranking diplomatic position in the country.
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