President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie Baker as the next US Ambassador to Pakistan. Baker has served as chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Islamabad since January 2025. If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first full US ambassador to Pakistan since Donald Blome departed nearly two years ago.
Baker is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the Minister-Counselor rank. She arrived in Islamabad as Deputy Chief of Mission in August 2024. Then in January 2025, she stepped into the acting role after Blome’s departure. By October 2026, the State Department made her permanent chargé d’affaires.
Her resume spans conflict zones and sensitive postings. Before Pakistan, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Doha, Qatar. She also held roles in Libya, Dubai, and Kuwait. In Kuwait, she supported the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. Earlier in her career, she served as a Consular Officer in Islamabad. As a result, she brings direct prior experience in the country. She holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard’s Kennedy School and speaks Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, and Russian.
During her tenure, Baker facilitated the Iran-US talks in Islamabad and met regularly with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. At the US Embassy’s 250th Independence Day celebration, she called Pakistan and America “true partners.”
Notably, Washington chose a career diplomat over a political appointee. That decision suggests the administration views the Pakistan posting as one requiring institutional expertise. Given the complexity of the relationship, including CPEC dynamics, counterterrorism coordination, and the India-Pakistan ceasefire, that choice appears deliberate.
