Marc Barety, the French ambassador for Pakistan, has been transferred to Egypt. Barety assumed his new assignment in Cairo last month.
He served as ambassador in Pakistan for more than three years. He was given an extension last year when the proscribed Tehrik-e-Labbaik (TLP) launched its agitation against France and demanded his expulsion following certain remarks of the French president stigmatizing Muslims.
At the time France had urged all its citizens in Pakistan to leave the country temporarily amid violent anti-French protests across the country.
The French embassy in Pakistan warned of “serious threats to French interests in Pakistan.”
Diplomatic sources told The News that a new French envoy had been appointed and was due to reach Pakistan earlier in October. However, it is now likely that the new French ambassador will assume charge in Pakistan early next year, these sources say.
Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and a spokesman Asim Iftikhar were not available for their comment. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan’s embassy in Paris has no ambassador since Ambassador Moeenul Haq was transferred to China early last year. Pakistan’s embassy in French capital is looked after by chargé d’affaires.
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