Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who took the oath of office early this week, has assumed the charge as foreign minister when the country is facing serious challenges on the front of foreign policy, particularly the highly-strained ties with the US and normalisation of relations with arch rival India.
Hina will have to face another problem of immense influence of military establishment on the country’s foreign policy, which has much or less always been there since Pakistan’s inception in 1947 but owing to the grave security threats that the country is confronting now it has increased manifold.
All these challenges are no doubt very difficult in nature but keeping in view Hina’s young age and little experience in foreign policy matters, expecting her to overcome them and prove her credentials as an able foreign policy manager may be too much to ask for.
The inexperience of the young foreign office boss is challenged by none other than her own party leaders, who not only opposed her in their own discussions and deliberations but some of them took up the matter directly with the president challenging her naiveté and her credentials as genuine party loyalist. Only a couple of years ago she had been enjoying the patronage of former president Pervez Musharraf and his prime minister Shaukat Aziz. Being the first woman foreign minister, Hina may be able to project a softer image for Pakistan but it’s not all that the country needs in these testing times. Even in the Foreign Office, many officials are surprised over the government’s decision to choose someone so young and having a degree in hotel management for such a challenging job. “Hina may lack the stature and knowledge that is required for this slot and above all she will have to deal with the all powerful military establishment, which has been involved in Pakistan’s foreign policy’s formulation for decades but now its influence is more than ever owing to serious security challenges that the country is confronting,” an official in the Foreign Ministry said, seeking anonymity.
However, she does carry one advantage – that she is not new to a top government office. In the previous regime, she was the minister of state for economic affairs and dealt extensively with international donors during those years.
The first test in the difficult business of foreign affairs for Pakistan’s new foreign minister is her meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today (Saturday) on the sidelines of ASEAN meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
However, her second and more difficult test would be her ministerial-level meeting with Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna later this month to discuss the progress on the ongoing Indo-Pak peace process aimed at the settlement of Kashmir and other bilateral issues. Many in the country believe that Hina would be no match to a seasoned diplomat like Krishna.
JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman on Friday said a seasoned person like Krishna would outsmart the novice in foreign affairs like Hina, adding that choosing her as foreign minister was certainly a bad decision.
well … she looks cute <3
Syed she looks tough as well.
Maira – not all the glitters are gold ….
But is she tough enough to face the challenges of easing the highly strained Pak-US relationship as well normalizing the ties with India, and that too while trying to minimize the influence of the military establishment on the country’s foreign policy?
Her designated as foreign minister is one of the finest jokes of the year. Our goat prime minister says that since foreign affairs are mostly ‘economic and trade’ related, hence Hina fulfills the required criteria. This ludicrous prime minister should think that if it was like that, then what the hell were Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell doing as Secretary of State (foreign minister) in their respective tenure.
This is all feudal politics. It’s all same city and inter family relations phenomena. Hina Khar and Yousuf Gillani both are from Multan. We are becoming a laughing stock by every passing moment under this government.
God, I miss the General Musharraf era.
Well since the “Political” and “Security” related diplomacy doesn’t originate and radiate from the offices of Foreign Ministry so her appointment doesn’t make a difference. If PM sees that mostly the economic and trade are what define success of foreign affairs and if you acknowledge that Hina is good at them, then i think that is what we direly need now. Opening up of trade with India and developing economic linkages is what we must be focusing on, instead of so called Strategic Interests.
No Foreign Minister deals with US-Pakistan relations, they just moderate. I think we have the example of Qureshi in front of us. He tried to play diplomacy and they gave him a shut up call.
Qureshi was shown the door because, once again, Gilani and Qureshi are two rival political families from Multan. This is all power politics. Qureshi was given the stick week in week out when held the foreign ministry. Now he’s a hero.
I do agree that foreign diplomacy doesn’t originate alone from foreign ministry. In fact no where in the world the foreign ministry alone pulls the strings. To be successful at diplomacy, it’s fundamental that intelligence agency, foreign office and the ruling political party should be on the same page and in one line.
So far Hina Khar being an economics spin-doctor, it’s an equally appalling thing. She comprehensively fails to meet the criteria for finance related qualifications. She’s a a graduate from LUMS and holds a masters degree in hospitality & management from University of Massachusetts (if I’m not wrong). She’s got absolutely no experience in finance too.
This government should realise that there’s a difference in running polo lounge and a foreign ministry.
To be very frank this is very funny joke,Hina is just show piece,she is not deserveing for this seat,zardari team just like to make happy Obama team,the fucken zardari dont know importance of Forighen Minster seat….
To be very frank this is very funny joke,Hina is just show piece,she is not deserveing for this seat,zardari team just like to make happy Obama team,the zardari dont know importance of Forighen Minster seat…. it is deserveing any experience holder person
It is good idea to bring new generation forward. The intellect is not reserved for the older generation. Age has nothing to do with debating and dialogue skilfulness. Although it is true she has to toe the line of her bosses she can still do it forcefully and with conviction. How old was ZAB when he was made a minister by Gen. Ayub. THIRTY YEARS!!
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