Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister: On Wednesday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a member of Pakistan’s most powerful political family, took office as foreign minister. This is a critical period for him, as he must work to repair strained relations with the United States and restart the peace process with India, the country’s next-door neighbor.
Who is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari?
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the 37th Minister of Foreign Affairs and chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. He is the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan. Bilawal was elected to the Pakistan National Assembly on August 13, 2018.
Bhutto-Zardari rose to the position of party leader at 19 after his mother was assassinated.
What is Zardari’s background?
Mr. Bilawal is the son of three-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, assassinated in 2007 at a political rally in Rawalpindi by a bomb and gun attack. She was former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s daughter.
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Benazir Bhutto, his mother, was assassinated at an election rally in 2007. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, his grandfather, was a former foreign minister and prime minister executed by a military ruler in 1979.
According to a UN investigation, Pakistani authorities failed to protect Benazir and failed to properly investigate her death when she was assassinated.
The military deposed Zulfiqar when General Zia-ul-Haq declared martial law in 1977. He was executed by hanging in 1979 after being convicted of conspiracy in a murder case. Three of his four children, including Benazir, were brutally murdered, making his family Pakistan’s most tragic political family.
Zulfiqar, like Mr. Bilawal, began his career as a foreign minister in the 1960s.
Mr. Bilawal’s sister, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, had congratulated him on his appointment as the country’s foreign minister earlier in the day.
Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister
Prime Minister Shehbaz, former President Asif Ali Zardari, other officials, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders attended a simple ceremony at the Aiwan-i-Sadr (President’s House) for Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister.
What do you think Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister will accomplish?
Mr. Bilawal has been given a key position in the government and the key portfolio of the country’s foreign minister for the first time. In 2018, he was elected to the National Assembly for the first time.
He was appointed as the head of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a critical juncture in the country’s foreign policy. This was when the country needed someone to keep it on course through turbulent waters. Then now, Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister.
Bhutto-Zardari became one of the world’s youngest foreign ministers at 33. Still, he inherited a diplomatic bag stuffed with issues that began long before he was born, including relations with archrival India.
As the world’s youngest foreign minister what do you think Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister will accomplish?
Bhutto-Zardari, the Pakistan Peoples Party’s leader, said on Twitter that he was “honored” and humbled to be sworn in as foreign minister.
He and his party “will play our part in restoring democracy, passing electoral reforms, fighting for a fairer economy, and advocating Pakistan’s case on the world stage,” he wrote.
What is Bilawal’s role in the cabinet?
What do you think Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister will accomplish?
After, Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister, Mr. Bilawal must repair strained relations with the US in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s conspiracy allegations and find a way to restart the stalled peace process with neighboring India.
Mr. Khan was deposed earlier this month after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he claimed was part of a US-led conspiracy to destabilize him due to his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, he provided no credible evidence to support his claim. The United States has categorically denied his claims.
Pakistan’s relationship with India deteriorated after India announced in August 2019 that it would no longer grant special powers to Jammu and Kashmir.
India has stated that it wishes to maintain normal neighborly relations with Pakistan in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility, and violence. According to India, it is up to Pakistan to rid their country of terror and hostility.
Mr. Bilawal took the oath nearly a week after meeting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in London last week, where they discussed Pakistan’s “overall political situation.” He vowed to collaborate on political and national-interest issues.
Political analysts are divided about Bhutto’s abilities and how long he will be able to maintain good relations with Premier Sharif of the rival Pakistan Muslim League-N party after Zardari Pakistan’s new foreign minister.
First, Bhutto: On Thursday, Zardari’s foreign mission will accompany Sharif to Saudi Arabia, a major trade partner and source of assistance for Pakistan’s struggling economy.