Sri Lanka Appoints Sanjeewa Pattiwila as New Consul General in Karachi

Sahir Baloch

Karachi: The Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Sanjeewa Pattiwila as the new Consul General at its Consulate General in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pattiwila, a career diplomat with nearly 25 years of public service, joined the Sri Lankan Public Service in 1999 after graduating from the University of Kelaniya. He entered the Department of Commerce in 2005 and currently serves as Director of Commerce.

He has previously held key postings at Sri Lanka’s missions in Sweden, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Minister (Commercial) at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh.

An accomplished academic, Pattiwila holds a Master’s in Financial Economics from the University of Colombo, a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies and Public Policy from the Open University of Sri Lanka, and a Bachelor’s in Business Management (Hons) from the University of Kelaniya.

His expertise spans trade policy, customs procedures, Rules of Origin, and Certificates of Origin. He has also represented Sri Lanka in numerous bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.

The Sri Lankan government expressed confidence that Pattiwila’s appointment will help enhance bilateral ties with Pakistan, particularly in trade, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.