Rizwan to represent Pakistan at Trump’s oath-taking on 20th'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy in Washington Rizwan Saeed Sheikh will represent the government of Pakistan, to the oath-taking ceremony of President elect Donald Trump on January 20.

Trump will be sworn in his second non-consecutive term to the Oval Office as the 47th US President. The invitation to Pakistan has been sent by the Trump- Vance inaugural committee. When a senior official was approached by The News, he confirmed, “Yes, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh will represent the government”.

Ambassador Sheikh had earlier presented his Letter of Credence to the now outgoing President Biden in September 2024, with the Ambassador commenting that at the meeting Pakistan “had highlighted the enduring partnership between the two nations, focusing on trade climate cooperation, security and emphasized the vital role of Pakistan’s strong diaspora in strengthening ties between the two countries“.

Inviting foreign leaders and ministers to the oath-taking is a new and dramatic policy initiated by Donald Trump in 2025, as earlier it was the tradition for the US administration to only invite foreign envoys stationed in Washington to the oath-taking ceremony.

It was Pakistan’s Ambassador Dr Asad Majeed Khan presently the Secretary General of ECO, and his wife who represented Pakistan at the oath-taking ceremony of Joe Biden in 2021. There had been unprecedented security at the ceremony in the post January 6 attacks on Capitol Hill.

Two former Pakistani envoys in Washington who have met with President Trump in his earlier term have been Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry who presented his credentials in 2017 and later Ambassador Dr Asad Majeed Khan who presented credentials to Trump in 2019.

Trump has invited foreign ministers from Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) capitals who have confirmed their participation. A QUAD foreign ministers meeting has been planned for January 21 on the sidelines of the Trump oath-taking in Washington. Those participating will include Trump’s host and nominee for Secretary State, Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Seeking a “global stage” at his oath-taking ceremony, Trump had also sent an unprecedented invitation to Chinese President XI Jinping, which was expected to be a diplomatic game changer, but XI politely declined and is now sending a high level representative.

“This is another example of how Trump is creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just allies but our adversaries and competitors as well”, Trump’s spokeswoman told the media.

Those world leaders who so far have accepted Trump’s invitation include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Hungarian President Viktor Orban, French far right politician Eric Zemmour, Argentinian President Javier Mililei and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonara.

Meanwhile, at the Foreign Office here, Pakistan says it ‘condemned’ and noted with deep concern the increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary in the United Kingdom (UK) that is aimed at conflating the reprehensible actions of a few individuals with the entire 1.7 million British Pakistani diaspora.

The spokesperson was responding to media queries regarding the recent spate of xenophobic remarks directed towards the Pakistani community in the UK where attempts were made demonize such a large and diverse community on the basis of the actions of a few individuals which needs to be condemned.

“The presence of 1.7 million strong British-Pakistani diaspora provides the strongest link between the two friendly countries and British nationals of Pakistani origin have a rich history of contributing to the United Kingdom’s growth, development and, indeed, freedom”, he said.

The spokesperson also pointed to what he said was an exceptionally large number of predominantly Muslim soldiers from what is now Pakistan who served in the British Indian army and laid down their lives for the cause of democracy in both world wars.

Commenting on the British-Pakistanis today, the spokesperson said that they form the backbone of the UK’s health, retail and services sectors. “Many British Pakistanis hold high public office, and thousands serve their communities as Members of Parliament, mayors, councillors, and as members of local police and municipal services. British Pakistanis have excelled in sports and arts. Their cuisine and music enriches British culture”, he added.

He noted the deep and multifaceted relations which cover important areas including trade and investment, education, security, counter-terrorism, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts. “Pakistan-UK friendship is characterized by warmth, cordiality, robust cooperation and trust. Nurtured over decades this relationship remains an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy”, he said.