Islamabad, Dec 26 (PTI) Pakistan's former foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar, who served as the country's ambassador to India, the US and China, died here on Tuesday.

Born in 1942, Khokhar joined the Foreign Service in October 1966.

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He served as Pakistan's ambassador to India, the United States and China before leading the top post of Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in June 2002.

His funeral prayers will be offered at the H-8 graveyard in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and he will be buried at the same graveyard.

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Former bureaucrats and political parties leaders expressed their condolences over Khokhar's death.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Khokhar. "A role model for the Foreign Service, he will be greatly missed. May Allah grant him a place in Jannat and solace to his family," he said in a post on X.

Former foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua said Khokhar was a "giant of a man- an extraordinary human being with a heart of gold, a professional to the core who cared immensely about Pakistan. He had the sharpest memory and was never afraid of speaking the truth. He is irreplaceable." PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)