President Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat Natalie Baker as the United States ambassador to Pakistan, ending a two‑year vacancy that began in January 2025. Gulf News reported the White House statement verbatim: “Natalie A. Baker has been nominated as the new US Ambassador to Pakistan… a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister‑Counsellor.” Dawn echoed the same wording, confirming that the nomination was formally submitted to the US Senate for review.
Senate scrutiny and procedural reality
The Dawn article adds that the nomination “has been submitted to the US Senate, whose foreign relations committee will review it. If approved by the committee, the nomination will proceed to a vote by the full Senate.” That procedural roadmap is the only concrete timeline we have; no date for a committee hearing or a floor vote has been disclosed. Until the Senate acts, Baker remains Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad, the de‑facto head of the US mission.
