US President Joe Biden nominates Donald Blome as ambassador to Pakistan

After a three-year gap, Pakistan may finally have a US envoy in Islamabad as President Joe Biden has nominated “career” diplomat Donald Armin Blome as his ambassador to the country, announced the White House in a statement on Tuesday.

The post has been vacant for three years and the last envoy appointed by the US to Pakistan was David Hale. The diplomat had left the post after he was appointed the undersecretary of state for political affairs.

A statement issued by the White House said that Blome is a “career member of the senior foreign service, class of minister-counsellor”. He is currently posted as the US ambassador to Tunisia and will be able to take up his new assignment if the US Senate confirms his appointment.

“Prior to that, Ambassador Blome was chargé d’affaires at the Libya External Office in Tunis, Tunisia, consul general at the US Consulate in Jerusalem, and director, Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the US Department of State,” read the statement.

Blome has also served as political counsellor at the US Embassy in Kabul and minister-counsellor for economic and political affairs at the US Embassy in Cairo.

“Earlier in his career, Ambassador Blome served as the civilian co-director, Multinational Force Strategic Engagement Cell, Baghdad, political counselor, Embassy Kuwait, and as Israel desk officer, deputy director and acting director, Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs,” said the White House.

The diplomat has a BA and a JD from the University of Michigan and speaks Arabic.

If confirmed, Blome will face an uphill task as the US-Pakistan relations are under strain following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.