---
title: 'Ambassador Sohail Mahmood: Secretary General of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation'
url: 'https://thediplomaticinsight.com/amb-sohail-mahmood-sg-d8-organization/'
author: 'Web Desk'
date: '2026-04-17T13:08:38+05:00'
categories:
  - 'Ambassadors'
---

# Ambassador Sohail Mahmood: Secretary General of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood is the 6th Secretary General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), headquartered in Istanbul. His appointment was approved by the 11th D-8 Summit held in Cairo in December 2024, and he formally assumed office on January 1, 2026.

He took over in a handover ceremony at the D-8 Secretariat where the outgoing Secretary General extended a warm welcome, briefed him on key achievements, and wished him success.

Ambassador Mahmood expressed sincere appreciation for the transition and reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the organization’s founding principles through effective implementation of priority programs and flagship projects as outlined in the D-8 Charter and the Decennial Roadmap.

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University in New York and a master’s degree in history from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

## **Diplomatic Career**

Prior to his current assignment, Ambassador Mahmood served as Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad from January 2023 to December 2025. 

In this role, he spearheaded wide-ranging research, steered multi-stakeholder dialogues, established new specialized centers including the ASEAN Corner, China Corner and Kashmir Resource Centre, and strengthened the institute’s national and international outreach. 

Before leading ISSI, he served as the 30th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan from April 2019 to September 2022. Earlier he was Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India from 2017 to 2019, Ambassador to Türkiye with concurrent accreditation to North Macedonia and Kosovo from 2015 to 2017, and Ambassador to Thailand and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP in Bangkok from 2009 to 2013. 

**Read More: [Ambassador Sohail Mahmood takes over as Director-General of ISSI](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/ambassador-sohail-mahmood-takes-over-as-director-general-of-issi/)**

He joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1985 and accumulated more than 37 years of experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held senior positions including Director (West Asia), Director General (Americas), Director General of the Foreign Secretary’s Office, and Additional Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia). 

He also served in Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Ankara, Washington and New York, where he worked as Political Coordinator for Pakistan’s delegation to the United Nations Security Council. 

In the multilateral arena, he represented Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council, OIC, SCO, ECO and other key regional and international forums.

## **His Vision for the D-8**

Ambassador Mahmood is committed to realizing the[ full potential of the D-8](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/d-8-secretary-general-emphasizes-sports-role-empowering-youth-women/) Organization and strengthening economic cooperation among member states. 

In his first remarks at the handover ceremony he underscored the importance of translating agreed frameworks into tangible outcomes, particularly through the full operationalization of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement, the Protocol on the Dispute Settlement Mechanism, and flagship initiatives in trade, agriculture, energy, industry, transportation and tourism. 

**Read More: [Zardari Hails Appointment of Pakistani Diplomat as D-8 Secretary General](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/zardari-congratulates-sohail-mahmood-appointment-d-8-secretary-general/)**

He stressed the need for institutional reforms to align the organization with contemporary global standards while ensuring fair representation of all member states. He also highlighted the value of enhancing people-to-people contacts to deepen cultural and historical ties.

On December 19, 2025, President Asif Ali Zardari received Ambassador Mahmood at Aiwan-e-Sadr and congratulated him on the appointment, describing it as a matter of pride for Pakistan. 

The President reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the D-8 as a founding member and expressed confidence that Ambassador Mahmood’s experience would help elevate the organization’s relevance in the years ahead.