Natalie Baker Nominated as Envoy to Pakistan by President Trump

UPDATE - follow-up to U.S. President Donald Trump nominates Natalie Baker as next Ambassador to Pakistan: Natalie Baker has been nominated by President Donald Trump to take up the role of the next envoy to Islamabad, ending a nearly two-year gap for a permanent head at the mission.

Background

Ms. Baker is currently working as the charge d'affaires at the embassy in Islamabad. She took over that post in January 2025 after the exit of the previous ambassador, Donald Armin Blome.

Process And Prior Roles

The White House sent the nomination to the Senate, where the foreign relations committee will review it first. A full Senate vote follows if the committee approves the choice. Before taking her current job, she arrived in Islamabad as the Deputy Chief of Mission in August 2024. Her past postings include Deputy Chief of Mission in Doha from August 2021 to July 2024, and work at missions in Libya, Dubai, and Kuwait.

Context

Diplomatic postings of this level require Senate confirmation in the United States to ensure a formal check on executive appointments. Such permanent envoys direct bilateral relations and embassy operations on the ground.