Who is Hina Rabbani Khar? – Pakistan Foreign Minister

Amid tense bilateral relations, her charm has hit the headlines with her stepping on Indian land. Meet Pakistan’s youngest and first woman foreign minister, the 34-year-old Hina Rabbani Khar who is in India for peace talks.

Hina, who has inherited politics from her family, is a daughter of former Pak foreign minister Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar and niece of Ghulam Mustafa Khar.

Rather her father drove Hina’s entry into politics, setting her on a different path from the hotel management career she had been pursuing with great zeal.

It’s because of her political roots that she has often been referred as the next Benazir of the Pakistan. After Benazir Bhutto, Hina is the next female face of Pakistan known world wide.

Born in 1977 at ‘Khar Gharbi’ village in Multan, Hina is the first woman to present the budget speech in national assembly on 13 June, 2009. A businesswoman by profession, Hina graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Hina also holds a Masters degree from the University of Massachusetts, USA- she has all that it takes to be a leader.

In 2008, she was named to the World Economic Forum’s list of young global leaders.

On a lighter side, Hina is a proud Pakistani and regards this very feeling as her most treasured asset. She is married to Feroze Gulzar, a businessman and enjoys riding, reading and travelling. She is also a member of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) Pakistan.

She is also one of the owners of the Polo Lounge, an upscale, popular restaurant located on the Lahore Polo Grounds.

It was in 2008, when Hina was elected as a Member of National Assembly (MNA) with a ticket from PPP from the constituency of Muzaffargarh, Punjab.

She served as a State Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics as National Assembly member of PML-Q in 2003-07.

Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar meets Kashmiri separatist leaders.

India and Pakistan on Wednesday proclaimed new Confidence Building Measures, despite the unhappiness in New Delhi concerning Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders.

After their meeting, foreign minister SM Krishna said that ties were back on the right track, whereas his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar spoke of a new era of cooperation.

Khar said in a statement that there had been a mindset change that had turned the resumed peace dialogue into an uninterrupted and uninterruptable process.

She also added that “A new generation of Indians and Pakistanis will see a relationship that will hopefully be much different from the one that has been experienced in the last two decades.”

Pakistan’s first female foreign minister, Khar was appointed preceding week and at just 34 years of age, some had queried whether she was experienced enough to knob one of the world’s most fraught cross-border relationships.

Both foreign ministers strained the significance of the India-Pakistan relationship to makes sure peace in the wider South Asia region.

Progress In Peace Talks Between India And Pakistan

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar (R) shakes hands with Indian counterpart Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna before their meeting in New Delhi July 27, 2011. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan, India Signal ‘New Era’ Of Cooperation — Voice Of America

The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan have hailed a “new era of cooperation,” after meeting for the first time since peace talks between the rival nations resumed earlier this year. The officials promised to initiate new trade and travel contacts across their disputed border.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna accentuated the positive Wednesday, following talks with newly appointed Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in the Indian capital.

“We have some distance to travel, but with an open mind, and a constructive approach … I am sure we can reach our desired destination,” Krishna said.