Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

Maleeha Lodhi (born 15 November 1952) is a Pakistani diplomat, military strategist[citation needed] and political scientist and a former Pakistan’s Representative to the United Nations.

She was the first woman to hold the position. Previously, she served as Pakistan’s envoy to the Court of St James’s and twice as its ambassador to the United States.

Born in Lahore to an upper-middle-class family, Lodhi studied political science at the London School of Economics and after receiving her doctorate from the school in 1980, she remained there as a member of faculty teaching political sociology.

She returned to Pakistan in 1986 to become the editor of The Muslim, making her the first woman to edit a national newspaper in Asia. In 1990, she moved to become the founding editor of The News International.In 1994, she was appointed by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as Pakistan’s envoy to the United States, a position she retained until 1997.

She was once again appointed to the same position in 1999 by President Musharraf until 2002 when she completed her tenure and moved on to be High Commissioner to the UK.

In 2001, Lodhi became a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament, she served on the board until 2005. In 2003, President Musharraf appointed her as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom at the Court of St James’s, where she remained until 2008.

Between 2008 and 2010, she served as a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics and the Kennedy School of Harvard University. In February 2015, Lodhi was appointed by Prime Minister Sharif to serve as Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Pakistan to the UN in New York City, making her the first woman to hold the position.