He holds the Doctor of Sciences degree in Physics and was the ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States until 2006.

From 1971 to 1992, Pashayev worked as a researcher and a laboratory chief at the Physics Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

Hafiz Pashayev started his political career in 1993 as Azerbaijan's first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States (also accredited in Canada and Mexico).

Moreover, Hafiz Pashayev is the author of more than 100 scientific works and 2 monographs, as well as the articles on various socio-political issues in the local and international media.

[2] He is the son of the well-known writer and literary critic, Mir Jalal Pashayev and the uncle of the Azerbaijan's current First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva.