US clears decks for appointment of Masood Khan as Pak envoy in Washington: Report

The US State Department has cleared all the decks for the appointment of Sardar Masood Khan as Pakistan's envoy in Washington, local media reports said on Saturday.

Now, he will replace incumbent Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, reported Geo News on Saturday.

Earlier, Media reports in this past week had claimed that the US held up the acceptance of the Masood Khan over his sympathy for terrorist leaders and organizations.

Masood Khan's nomination had been sent to Washington by Pakistan Foreign Office in November last year.

Earlier this week, a US Congressman had raised grave concern about the appointment of Masood Khan as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States.

In a letter to US President Joe Biden, Congressman Scott Perry had asked Biden to reject Masood's appointment, stating that Imran Khan's nomination of a bona fide "terrorist sympathiser".

Congressman Perry added that Masood Khan can only be described as a "breathtaking lack of judgment at best," and "a demonstration of Islamabad's unmitigated contempt for the United States at worst."

"While I am encouraged that the State Department has reportedly placed a pause on approving Masood Khan as the new Ambassador from Pakistan, a pause is not enough. I urge you to reject any diplomatic credentials presented to you by Masood Khan and reject any effort by the Government of Pakistan to install this jihadist as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States," Scott Perry had said in his letter to Biden.

( With inputs from ANI )