Natalie Baker. Photo Credit: @usembislamabad
U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie Baker to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, paving the way for the appointment of a permanent envoy to Islamabad after a gap of nearly two years, it emerged on Tuesday (November 10, 2026).
Ms. Baker is currently serving as charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. She assumed the role in January 2025, following the departure of then-ambassador Donald Armin Blome.
The White House, in a statement, said the nomination has been submitted to the U.S. Senate, whose foreign relations committee will review it. If approved by the committee, the nomination will proceed to a vote by the full Senate. Ms. Baker would be appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan following the Senate’s confirmation.
Earlier, she had arrived in Islamabad as Deputy Chief of Mission in August 2024, according to details available on the embassy’s website. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Doha from August 2021 to July 2024.
Ms. Baker was also deployed as the Deputy Chief of Mission and charge d’affaires of the U.S. Mission to Libya, deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the U.S. consulate in Dubai and economic counsellor at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait.
She also served as the director of the Office of North African Affairs in the U.S. State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau. Ms. Baker is quite active in Islamabad and frequently interacts with local officials and the political leadership of Pakistan. She also oversaw the marked improvement in ties between Pakistan and the U.S. during the tenure of President Trump.
Published – November 10, 2026 06:28 pm IST
