The death of former Foreign Secretary Najmuddin Shaikh

Najmuddin A. Shaikh, the former foreign secretary, died early Friday morning, according to a statement from his family.

“We regret to inform you that Najmuddin A. Shaikh, the former ambassador and foreign secretary, passed away peacefully in his home early Friday morning in Karachi,” the family wrote.

“To facilitate his transition to a more peaceful world, we kindly ask that everyone offer Surah-e-Fatiha.”

At the DHA Phase VIII Graveyard, his funeral prayers will be said this Friday (today) following Asr prayers.

His two children, Nadir and Nermeen, as well as his wife, Raana Shaikh, survive him.

Shaikh held positions as ambassador to the US, Germany, Iran, and Canada.

He founded the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations and served on the board of governors of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

In 1961, Shaikh enlisted in Pakistan’s Foreign Service. From 1994 until 1997, he was Foreign Secretary. In Yemen, Sudan, Kenya, and Bahrain, he has also represented Pakistan as its special envoy.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Sindh University, he went on to earn his law and diplomacy degree from Tufts University’s Fletcher School.

Khurram Dastgir Khan, the former foreign minister, expressed his sorrow on Shaikh’s passing.

“One of the dwindling breed of diplomats interested deeply in the world and with the ability to analyse global events,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly twitter.