Ali Jahangir Siddiqui to take charge as Pakistan's ambassador to US on May 29

Pakistan's ambassador-designate to the US Ali Jahangir Siddiqui will take charge of his post this week.

Siddiqui, son of Karachi-based businessman and banker Jahangir Siddiqui, will take over from Aizaz Chaudhry on May 29.

The Foreign Office has informed the Pakistan Embassy in Washington regarding Siddiqui taking charge as the country's top envoy.

His tenure as ambassador will start just days before the end of the current government on May 31.

Siddiqui had earlier served Prime Minister Abbasi as a special assistant, advising the prime minister on economic and business matters.

He served as chairman of JS Bank and JS Private Equity and at several key positions in private sector before joining the government.

His appointment as the ambassador has been a cause of much controversy in the country as opposition parties accused the prime minister of appointing his "business partner's son" as the top envoy to the US.

The government defended the appointment by saying that Siddiqui has vast experience in business sector that will come handy to forge close relations with the US.

Siddiqui holds a BA in economics from the Cornell University and is also believed to have links with President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

He faces the daunting task of improving the relations between US and Pakistan which have been strained since US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of "lies and deceit" and criticised Islamabad for providing safe havens to terror groups.