Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi

Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi is a Pakistani diplomat and author. He served as Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh from 2011 to 2014, and as High Commissioner to New Zealand from 2016 to 2017.

Early life Hashmi was born in Muzaffargarh District, near Multan in southern Punjab and received his education from the Government College in Lahore. He is married to Asia Afrasiab.

Career Hashmi joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1984. During his early years, he was posted at the Pakistani mission to the United Nations in New York; where he was also his country's Alternative Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad as director for the Americas region, director-general for South Asia where he specialised on Indian affairs, and as staff officer for the Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs. He is also reportedly famed for his uncanny ability to read faces and predict what people are thinking. to mid-October 2014, Hashmi served as Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, with concurrent accreditation to Bhutan. From October 2014 to April 2016, he took over as the Additional Foreign Secretary for Asia-Pacific in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Later in 2016, Hashmi was appointed as Pakistan's High Commissioner to New Zealand, with concurrent diplomatic accreditation to Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati. He assumed charge of the mission on 29 April 2016, however presented his credentials on 1 June 2016 at Wellington's Government House and held the post until October 2017. and also played a key role in strengthening Pakistan's relations with Samoa, as one of his country's first envoys to the island nation. In early 2017, he was considered as one of the nominees for the post of High Commissioner to India.