Ambassador (r) Sohail Mahmood

Ambassador (r) Sohail Mahmood is a distinguished Pakistani career diplomat. Joining the Foreign Service in 1985, his nearly four-decade career culminated in his appointment as Pakistan’s 30th Foreign Secretary (2019–2022), preceded by key diplomatic postings as High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to Türkiye, and Ambassador to Thailand. He most recently served as Director-General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) from 2023 to 2026. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood is currently serving as Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, a position he assumed in January 2026.