Trump Nominates Natalie Baker As US Ambassador To Pakistan After Nearly Two-Year Vacancy

US President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie Baker as the next US ambassador to Pakistan, potentially ending a nearly two-year vacancy in the key diplomatic post in Islamabad as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with the South Asian country.

Baker, who currently serves as the US charge d’affaires in Pakistan, will formally assume the ambassadorial position if her nomination is confirmed by the US Senate. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that her name had been submitted to the Senate for consideration.

Her nomination will first be reviewed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If cleared by the panel, it will be placed before the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

Baker has been heading the US diplomatic mission in Islamabad since January 2025, following the departure of former ambassador Donald Armin Blome. She arrived in Pakistan in August 2024 to serve as the embassy’s deputy chief of mission.

Before her Islamabad posting, Baker served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from August 2021 to July 2024. Her diplomatic career has also included assignments in Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

She previously served as deputy chief of mission and charge d’affaires at the US Mission to Libya. Her other roles included deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US Consulate in Dubai and economic counsellor at the US Embassy in Kuwait.

Baker also headed the Office of North African Affairs in the US State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

During her tenure in Islamabad, she has maintained regular engagement with Pakistani government officials and political leaders while overseeing efforts to improve US-Pakistan bilateral relations under Trump's presidency.

Her confirmation would give the US diplomatic mission in Pakistan an ambassador after an extended vacancy, placing Baker in a key position to manage Washington's engagement with Islamabad.