Bucharest Ambassador’s CV

Dr. Zafar Iqbal

Ambassador of Pakistan to Romania

Dr. Zafar Iqbal was appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan to Romania, resident in Bucharest and concurrently accredited to the Republic of Moldova, in Dec 2019.He assumed responsibilities in July 2020.

Born 1971, in Bahawalnagar (a city in southeastern part of Punjab Province), he is a graduate of King Edward Medical University, Lahore and Punjab University Lahore.

After joining the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1999, Dr. Zafar had assignments of desk work as Assistant Director (in the Human Resource & Career Planning, the South Asia & SAARC, and the Middle East Divisions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad) before proceeding to Tunisia where he served, from December 2002-April 2006 (first as Third Secretary/Deputy Head of Mission and later as Second Secretary/Deputy Head of Mission) at the Embassy of Pakistan, Tunis.

For the next two years, Dr. Zafar served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad – as Deputy Director (Policy Planning), and Director (Policy Planning) and then as Director (Europe).

In August 2008, he proceeded to Germany where he served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin till August 2011. His next assignment was at Kyiv where he was Counsellor/Deputy Head of Mission from 2011-2016 (during this period, he also was the Charge d’ Affaires a.i. from January-June 2013, and later from July-December 2015).

Over the next four years (August 2016-July 2020) he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad as Director (SAARC), Director General (Americas) and then as Director General (Human Resource and Career Planning).

Dr. Zafar is an alumnus of Civil Services Academy, Lahore (Pakistan), Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad (Pakistan), Al-Imam University, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Foreign Service Academy, Berlin (Germany), National School of Public Policy, Lahore (Pakistan), and Clingendael Academy, The Hague (The Netherlands).

Over the years Dr. Zafar has delivered lectures on the subjects of regional, global and human resource management issues as well as Pakistan foreign policy at the diplomatic academies (of Pakistan, Germany and Ukraine) and various universities in Berlin, Muenster, Kyiv, and Islamabad.

Dr. Zafar speaks English and Arabic and has basic knowledge of French, German, and Russian.