'Free Kashmir' Proponent, India In His Past: Who's Imran Haider, Pakistan's New Envoy To Bangladesh?
Ambassador Imran Haider, a senior Pakistani diplomat who has recently been named as the new high commissioner to Bangladesh, carries a long-standing connection with India through his professional experiences and personal interests, and has been a proponent of 'Free Kashmir".
In addition to his multiple international assignments, ambassador Haider previously served at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, holding a significant diplomatic position before being posted as a Pakistani ambassador to several countries in 2019. Over the past years, Haider served as part of Pakistan's mission in the United Nations, New York, and in the embassies of Iran, India, the UAE, and Spain, along with other assignments, said his profile document.
In international diplomatic circles, Haider is known for his strong views on Kashmir, and he is seen as a vocal proponent of Pakistan's narrative on 'Free Kashmir". In fact, his display pictures on platforms like X and Instagram feature only a poster with the line 'Let Kashmir Speak", and his bio with his name says, 'career diplomat, posted in Tajikistan and Yangon (Myanmar)", signalling his continued alignment with that position. In fact, the same poster is also part of the interface of the official website of Pakistan's High Commission in New Delhi.
These social media accounts often highlight Haider's past speeches and engagements during his reported ambassadorial postings in Myanmar between 2024 and 2025 and in Tajikistan between 2023 and 2024, along with photographs featuring senior Pakistani ministers and diplomats. While the accounts do not have the officially 'verified" tag like many senior diplomats and bureaucrats, Haider's social media activity offers a clear glimpse into his ideological leanings and the persona he projects as a career diplomat.
According to a formal notification carried by the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM), known as the official mouthpiece of the junta government, he was appointed as Pakistan's ambassador to Myanmar in February 2024. Haider, who studied human rights at Curtin University, Perth, Australia, served briefly as assistant commissioner of income tax (1995-1996) in Pakistan before joining the ministry of foreign affairs in 1996, and since then he has held various diplomatic assignments in high-stakes postings across the globe, including in the UN and in countries like the UAE, Iran, India, and Spain.
His official bio as submitted to the Myanmar government also stated that he served as ambassador of Pakistan to Tajikistan from 2019 to 2023, a period during which Islamabad is learnt to have actively expanded its strategic ties in central Asia. Post-April 2023, Haider served as director-general for the Central Asian Republics (CARs) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) at Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs—an indication of his continued involvement in Pakistan's evolving regional strategy. His appointment to Myanmar was also seen as Islamabad's intent to maintain active diplomatic engagement with the junta regime amid a turbulent regional and global backdrop.
A senior diplomat, who does not want to be named, said, 'Pakistan is sending a seasoned, calculated insider to Dhaka. Imran Haider carries more than just a diplomatic briefcase. He carries a deep understanding of the India-Bangladesh-Pakistan triangle that is forged by years in Islamabad's foreign service and a strategic stint in New Delhi."
First Published:
June 19, 2025, 07:30 IST
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