During weekly media briefing Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakria stated that letter by an ambassador was leaked 'unfortunately'. "Unfortunately a letter written by an ambassador become public," he said. 

Earlier, former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit's letter became public in which he called current ambassador to US, Aizaz Chaudhary, worst ever Foreign Secretary. 

In his letter the former envoy contended that Chaudhry was not made for the ‘delicate profession of diplomacy’.

He cited two incidents as example - the joint statement issued after a meeting in the Russian city of Ufa between ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in 2015, and Pakistan's failure to get re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Basit wrote in the letter: “It is more worrisome your heart is not in the right place.” The former envoy said it was in Pakistan's interest Chaudhry is removed from his post as the envoy to US. Failing that, he said, Chaudhry should not be given an extension beyond his superannuation in 2018.

Senior officials at the foreign ministry said the two diplomats may have ‘personal grudges’ prompting Basit to write such a harsh letter to Aizaz Chaudhry, the incumbent Pakistan ambassador to the United States.

“The whole world knows that Basit was a candidate for the foreign secretary’s slot. He was superseded and might be blaming Chaudhry for whatever has happened,” an official at the ministry told The Nation, confirming the authenticity of the letter.

He said the letter was written when Basit was still the High Commissioner to India “so he used the official letterhead” but it was a ‘personal’ message which was also marked to the ministry.  

Furthermore, the spokesperson rejected Trump's allegations against Pakistan of 'harbouring terrorists'. "Pakistan has always rejected giving safe havens to terrorists," affirmed Zakria.