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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>Tribune’s Gamechangers 2011: Hina Rabbani Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/317581/tribune%e2%80%99s-gamechangers-2011-hina-rabbani-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/317581/tribune%e2%80%99s-gamechangers-2011-hina-rabbani-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 12 11:26:53 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=317581</guid>
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				<![CDATA[The Birkin that headlined more than Pak-India ties.]]>
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				<![CDATA[It’s the tote that has adorned the arm of many a socialite in Pakistan, but only Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar managed to associate it with the country.

When she stepped off in India for talks with the Hermes bag on her arm, the media in Pakistan and India only noted her good looks and her bag, starting prices for which are at around $7,000. Khar’s work for diplomacy went by the wayside as her bag became a raging point of debate, with many questioning how tactful it was to carry such an expensive bag when the country was asking for aid for flood victims. Many critiqued her sartorial choice as they speculated that she pays minimal taxes.

Quote: “A guy in my place would never get such attention; nobody would be talking about his suit.”

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>First official visit: Turkey an ‘inspiring example’ for the world: Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/230131/turkey-an-inspiring-example-for-the-world-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/230131/turkey-an-inspiring-example-for-the-world-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Aug 11 04:06:23 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=230131</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign ministers agree upon strengthening bilateral relations.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Turkish leaders agreed upon further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.


Khar stressed that Turkey was not only an “inspiring example” for the region, but also for the world. “Your experience and your democracy should serve as examples to everyone,” Khar said following meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and her counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday.

Asked about why Turkey was chosen as her destination for her first official visit abroad, she gave an example that illustrated extent of her country’s confidence in Turkey.

“When I went out to the areas hit by recent floods, I saw numerous tents in which health assistance was being provided, set up by various countries, including European ones.

Hundreds of people were waiting in front of one tent in particular, while only a few waited in line for the other.” Upon enquiring why that was so, she was given a simple reply. “They said the longest line was for the Turkish tent. “If our arms do not have to be amputated, our Turkish brothers will not do it,” they told me. Pakistanis have incredible faith in Turkey.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Bilateral Ties: Khar on first-ever visit to Turkey</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/229274/hina-rabbani-khar-arrives-in-turkey</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/229274/hina-rabbani-khar-arrives-in-turkey#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 11 05:03:53 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=229274</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign ministers discussed ways to promote bilateral ties, enhance economic, trade activities.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Friday that Pakistan and Turkey were working together to convert challenges into opportunities for a better future.


Addressing a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Dr Ahmet Davutoglu, Khar said both sides focused on converting the political goodwill between the countries into more tangible economic projects. “We have agreed to start negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and decided to explore the possibility of doing bilateral trade in local currencies.”

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Ms Khar’s ‘eight points’ on Pakistan-India</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/228442/ms-khar%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98eight-points%e2%80%99-on-pakistan-india</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/228442/ms-khar%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98eight-points%e2%80%99-on-pakistan-india#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 11 14:57:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=228442</guid>
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				<![CDATA[It appears the world expects the bilateral equation to get out of the old rut of repeating irreconcilable positions.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Inaugurating debate on India-Pakistan relations in the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has described her recent visit to New Delhi as the opening a new chapter with India after the two neighbouring states broke off dialogue in the wake of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. She emphasised that this time the atmospherics were promising, which she interpreted as a positive assessment of the current government in Islamabad. Her Indian counterpart, SM Krishna, who had a bad last meeting with Ms Khar’s predecessor, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was pointedly friendly this time around.

The next round of India-Pakistan talks, Ms Khar says, will discuss the famous eight points representing Pakistan’s view of what is wrong with the bilateral equation: “counter-terrorism; economic and commercial cooperation; the construction of Wullar barrage (what India calls the Tulbul project) that Pakistan thinks will affect the flow of the Jhelum river from Indian Kashmir, the disputed Siachen glacier in Kashmir; the dispute over the maritime boundary at Sir Creek; peace and security, including confidence-building measures; the dispute over the Jammu and Kashmir state; and promotion of friendly exchanges.”

Will we go through the old pantomime of clichés in the next round or is there actually a breakthrough waiting for us this time? It appears that the world expects the bilateral equation to get out of the old rut of repeating irreconcilable positions. Newspaper editorials in the US expressed optimism about Ms Khar’s remarks in New Delhi. The rumour was that global diplomacy had put pressure on India to stop stonewalling Pakistan’s efforts at resuming a post-Mumbai phase of dialogue with it. What could be the content of this pressure from Washington and London?

First, there was talk of Pakistan wanting to end its warlike engagement with India on the eastern border in order to be able to face the trouble on its western border effectively. Pakistan’s ‘condition’ for this was India ending the concentration of troops on the Pakistani border before it would withdraw its own troops. On the other hand, India was pressured into changing its stance on the Mumbai attack and the policy line it dictated to the Indian ministry of external affairs. The outgoing Indian foreign secretary who handled this policy surprised a lot of people when she publicly regretted that India had erred in breaking off dialogue with Pakistan after Mumbai.

Ms Khar’s plan to ‘deepen’ the engagement process with India can mean a lot of things if it is not an empty phrase. Pakistan will be resuming its talks with India, which at this point in time, clearly enjoys an advantage in terms of being in a stronger position to negotiate with one of its neighbours. Today’s India, which is pro-status quo, has since added to its negotiating posture more plus points, the most important one being its economic success in parallel to Pakistan’s frighteningly real crumbing of the national economy in the face of its own home-grown terrorism. Its global allies, the US and China, may be on the critical point of reassessing their estimate of Pakistan as a good horse to bet on. The ‘eight points’ are in fact distractions to the urgent bilateral agenda that the two are ignoring. The idea, developed laboriously by now-retired Pakistani diplomats, is that first peace must be created before the two start doing what states at peace with each other normally do: engage in political and economic détente. The truth is that this modus operandi has never worked in history, especially if the two sides have agendas that refuse to gel together because of lack of flexibility. Any agreement will work if each side keeps some space to give the other what it wants. A status quo power with clout will not be willing to accommodate its neighbours partially because it doesn’t need anything from them. Peace is what removes disputes by defusing them. And peace is achieved not by removing disputes but by allowing positive things to happen. The big thing waiting for this wisdom to dawn is free trade and trade routes. A ‘connecting state’ — east-west and north-south — such as Pakistan is geopolitically important only if it allows goods and people to pass through its territory. In military thinking, geopolitical importance is attained by blocking the transit of goods. Nothing could be more wrong.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Recalling Delhi yatra: Adverse incidents disrupt Pak-India talks, says Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/228181/recalling-delhi-yatra-adverse-incidents-disrupt-pak-india-talks-says-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/228181/recalling-delhi-yatra-adverse-incidents-disrupt-pak-india-talks-says-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 11 07:15:04 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[qamar.zaman]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=228181</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says the two countries agreed to enhance travel, trade facilities across the LoC.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Every time dialogue between Pakistan and India gains momentum, it is interrupted by some untoward incident, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday.


Islamabad wants an “uninterrupted and uninterruptable” peace process with New Delhi, but would never compromise its principled position on core issues, she added.

“Uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue means we want to hold meaningful and result-oriented talks, and for that, both sides need to ensure a conducive environment in which two countries can talk about core issues, including Kashmir, and move towards a resolution,” Khar said.

Briefing the National Assembly on her maiden India visit, Khar in her policy statement said, “We want to build trust with countries such as India and Afghanistan and begin a new era of cooperation.”

She informed the House that during her visit, the two sides held ministerial and secretaries-level talks on eight issues, including counter-terrorism, economic and commercial cooperation, Wullar Barrage, Siachen, Sir Creek, peace and security including CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir and the promotion of friendly exchanges.

“He [the Indian foreign minister] got a message from Pakistan that we are serious in engaging with India. It is our desire to engage with India in a meaningful way,” she said.

Pakistan raised water issues and emphasised on the need for respecting the Indus Water Treaty, and both countries had agreed to uphold the sanctity of the treaty, Khar added.

The foreign minister said that during her stay in New Delhi, she met with Kashmiri leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and assured them of Islamabad’s commitment for continued support towards the Kashmir cause.

Khar said that the Kashmir dispute should be resolved peacefully, and in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris.

She said India had conveyed its concerns over terrorism and the trial on Mumbai attacks while both sides had agreed to hold separate meetings of experts on nuclear and conventional CBMs in Islamabad in September. The two countries also agreed to resume the work of the Pakistan-India Joint Commission.

Khar added that the two countries had also agreed to enhance existing facilities for travel and trade across the Line of Control (LoC).

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Istanbul to host Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/226963/istanbul-to-host-foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/226963/istanbul-to-host-foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Aug 11 15:13:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=226963</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Will hold talks with her Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Turkey will host Pakistan's new foreign minister, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar this week, Turkish officials said on Monday.

Ms Khar is expected to arrive in the Turkish capital on Friday for a one-day visit, during which she will hold talks with her Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu, diplomatic sources told Today's Zaman.

Earlier in July, Ms Khar had made a much talked about trip to India, being her maiden trip as foreign minister, wherein she met India's top leadership including opposition leaders and Kashmiri leaders.

The foreign minister appeared to have had an instant impact on one of the world’s most tense bilateral relations, with her photo adorning the front pages of most Indian newspapers amid high interest in her arrival with headlines such as ”Pak Puts On Its Best Face” in The Times of India, the biggest-selling English-language daily, while mass circulation Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times said India was “sweating over model-like minister.”

The visit was a continuation of peace talks initiated by both countries earlier in June.]]>
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			<title>The fashion statement</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/224980/the-fashion-statement</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/224980/the-fashion-statement#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 11 16:53:44 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[amina.jilani]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=224980</guid>
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				<![CDATA[It would be advisable if Hina Khar did not brandish her money when representing a near-failing country.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Those who have made it through the ballot box (or otherwise), legally or illegally, supposedly represent Pakistan and its people. At least, that is what is expected. That at the moment in all the assemblies and in the Senate we are inundated by undesirables, who should be elsewhere cashing in on everything other than the national exchequer, is not surprising. Political and moral talent is hard to come by — even in shorter supply than the country’s electric power.

Undoubtedly, we need to be out with the old and somehow get in with the new. The old and tarnished have to be rejected if politics and governance (which is what it is all about) are to get anywhere. We desperately need young blood. But it must be young blood with no baggage attached and sense in the upper storey.

The newly appointed foreign minister, child-bride of the foreign office, has made her historic trip to India. Just how did she represent Pakistan? By making a fashion statement and exhibiting questionable taste when representing a country in hock up to its shattered eyeballs, deep in debt to much of the world, with a sizeable percentage of its population sub-existing below the poverty line, with almost 100,000 families still bereft of permanent shelter after last year’s floods, with distress and distrust stalking the land, and a government said to be out of favour — even disliked — by the majority of its swelling populace?

She was elected to parliament in 2002 on the shoulders of her feudal family and faithfully served the government of general Pervez Musharraf throughout its tenure. She moved over from a failed party to the sympathy vote-winning PPP in 2008 and has now seemingly been rewarded, as the party co-chairman cum head of state is in favour (and rightly so) of promoting women in politics.

But is a Birkin bag, or for that matter anything to do with Hermes, representative of Pakistan? What has it to do with this country apart from the fact that a large bevy of begums with more money than nous possess one or several? The foreign minister herself reportedly has two — one large and very expensive black on show in India and, unfamiliar to the public, one tan. Did she have to flaunt the black, along with the other pricey accessories which have been calculated as having cost “upwards of $30,000 or 30 years worth of toil for the average Pakistani citizen”?

That’s fine that she has money, she can spend it how she likes, but it would be advisable not to brandish it when representing a near-failing country on the international stage — and particularly in India where rather than fashion statements we needed more, much more — definitely more than the somewhat anodyne traditional stuff she trotted out.

No one grudges the foreign minister her baubles, but let them be sported in the right places, in the plush salons of Lahore and Islamabad, in the Polo Lounge — at anytime other than when representing this unfortunate country.

Reportedly (and let it be denied) she is one of the 25 cabinet ministers in the disgraceful cabinet of the wooden, well-tailored dummy, Yousuf Raza Gilani who pays no income tax. Over the past years all she has, reportedly again, contributed to her country is agricultural tax of Rs7,500 per annum.

The danger is the example she has set. Our people’s representatives who now flop around the world at our expense will probably do their damndest to keep up with young Khar and jazz themselves up. Shopping bags returning to the country will multiply. As it is most of them have dyed hair (badly dyed), one exception being the turfed-out snappily dressed Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who went along with Mother Nature and thus looked far more normal, than his Cherry Blossom compatriots.

Those dabbling in foreign affairs would do well to read Anne-Marie Slaughter’s “The New Foreign Policy Frontier” published in the July 2011 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/07/the-new-foreign-policy-frontier/242593/)

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Bilateral relations: Khar meets Qatar ambassador</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/224437/bilateral-relations-khar-meets-qatar-ambassador</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/224437/bilateral-relations-khar-meets-qatar-ambassador#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 11 08:21:35 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Ambassador of Qatar Sayar Abdul Rahman al-Mawdah met on Thursday.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Ambassador of Qatar Sayar Abdul Rahman al-Mawdah met on Thursday and discussed ways to strengthen the existing cooperation between the two countries in various fields. In a meeting held at the Foreign Office, the two sides noted that there existed a similarity of views between the two countries on a number of issues. The foreign minister lauded the efforts of the ambassador to further strengthen fraternal relations between Pakistan and Qatar.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Designer foreign policy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/220754/designer-foreign-policy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/220754/designer-foreign-policy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jul 11 16:08:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ayesha.siddiqa]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Khar is quite adept at surviving through different regime types, a quality that will take her a long way.]]>
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				<![CDATA[It seems that Pakistan will now have a flow of foreign designers such as Hermes (which makes the Birkin handbag), Prada and others coming to the country to set up shop. Their interest, it seems, is ignited by another rumour that Delhi is considering handing over Kashmir to Hina Rabbani Khar rather than Pakistan due to her suave dressing (Indian leaders are not worried that she may give the territory to Pakistan since her feudal-landowning background may not allow her to do so). The new foreign minister has dual ownership by both the political government and the establishment, and it is a great idea to have her there to sweep foreign leaders off their feet.

It’s hard to beat the Pakistani establishment’s innovative and creative instincts. Quite a few years ago, a prominent general of the Musharraf team had claimed about a certain female, who was being launched as the establishment’s new intellectual missile, that a few more like her would make the world change its perception about Pakistan. The media hype in India around Hina Rabbani Khar’s visit will probably make some people happy, especially those who decided to invest in the new foreign minister. It’s certainly a good choice since it helps in bringing the political government and the establishment together, especially in terms of ownership of the minister. While she owes her promotion to her political masters, Khar is quite adept at surviving through different regime types, a quality that will take her a long way. For the sceptics who compare her with Shah Mahmood Qureshi, they must remember that the young Khar’s presentability is comparable to that of the former foreign minister vis-à-vis his expensive Armani suits. Furthermore, like him, she will build her way into the party and the establishment.

Good presentation and outlook (which includes the capacity to conduct oneself well, speak in a foreign language and seem visibly intelligent) are the traits which the establishment keenly looks for in a foreign minister. He/she does not have to be imaginative or inspired by the idea of making any original contribution to foreign policy. We continue to operate in the prism of a foreign policy which was jointly manufactured by the military establishment and the political government of the 1970s. Over the years, foreign ministers are expected only to conduct the orchestra rather than write the symphony themselves.

As far as India is concerned, there is very little that a dashing foreign minister is expected to do. I remember a dinner at the Pakistani High Commission in London on the occasion of Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s first visit to the UK after being sworn in as foreign minister. During his keynote speech, he expressed great enthusiasm for solving all outstanding issues with India and taking the relationship forward. Interestingly, the army and naval attaches sitting in a far-off corner in that very room whispered to each other and other guests on their table and presented a totally different worldview. With time, Qureshi learnt to listen more intently to the establishment that he was always a part of rather than go the way the political government initially intended.

Hina Rabbani Khar is intelligent and knows how not to rock the boat. She stuck to the draft as far as her visit to India was concerned. In any case, she represents a political government which is currently caught in a bind and cannot make original contributions to foreign policy, certainly not in terms of relations with India. She will not try to get original either as her main constituent — the establishment — would want her to stick to cosmetics.

It is a good sign that the two neighbours are talking to each other and are being civil. Otherwise, things are pretty much at a standstill. The Indian military won’t budge from Siachen without a joint agreement to map the existing positions first. On Sir Creek, the Pakistan Navy has gone back yet again to solving the issue on the basis of an old 1914 map rather than through other innovative ways. There is no movement on trade either.

Surely this is just the beginning of yet another chapter in India-Pakistan peace talks. Hina Khar was of the view that the flow of peace initiatives will not be reversed this time. Being foreign minister, she probably has greater insight. But the fact is that it’s not her words but the mood of the establishment that will be the evidence of whether the time has come for the two states to seriously talk peace. Meanwhile, we should suffice with Hermes and Prada.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Why is everyone going crazy for Khar?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/220005/why-is-everyone-going-crazy-for-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/220005/why-is-everyone-going-crazy-for-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 11 18:41:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=220005</guid>
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				<![CDATA[The young foreign minister’s fashion statement has been critiqued by Indian and Pakistani designers.]]>
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				<![CDATA[She is rich, stylish, and travels the world — so what’s the big deal about Pakistan’s youngest and first female foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s Birkin bag, glitzy shades and designer heels that were on display during her visit to India, ask Indian and Pakistani designers.


Khar’s classic black Hermes’ Birkin could cost anything above $10,000-$15,000, her Roberto Cavalli shades cost over $500 and the Jimmy Choos over $900, according to Indian news agency IANS.

Maheen Khan, who has dressed political icons like Benazir Bhutto, believes fashion is secondary when it comes to political figures, but the designer is all praise for Khar. “For me, Hina Rabbani Khar is a prime example of a woman who knows how to dress according to her profession,” she said.

Another leading designer Huma Adnan admits that Khar, whose three-day trip to India concluded on July 28, is one of the most stylish politicians in Pakistan, but finds it strange that so much talk in India has centred around her clothes.

“She is a public figure with a very conservative and neat look. Her sense of using the right accessories makes her different from other politicians. But the fact that she wears high-end brands should not be a topic of discussion,” said Adnan.

When Khar landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, India, for talks with her Indian counterpart SM Krishna, her blue ensemble, teamed with a simple string of pearls, oversized handbag and fashionable sunglasses caught the attention of many.

A post-graduate in hospitality and tourism from the University of Massachusetts, Khar has her roots in a wealthy feudal family of southern Punjab. In past appearances across the border, she has been spotted sporting bags from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Khar likes subdued, yet stylish dressing — something she proved with the cream ensemble she wore during India-Pakistan talks in New Delhi.

Fashion critic Aamna Isani, from Karachi, feels proud that Indians are lauding Khar’s dress sense.

“It’s good to know that a Pakistani leader is emerging as a style icon. The last fashion icon we had was Benazir Bhutto, who represented a perfect mixture of style and grace,” says Isani. “But many Pakistan leaders, from Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Bhutto, have been very stylish and fashion-conscious — so why fuss over Khar’s style?” she asks.

Amir Adnan believes that “Pakistani leaders are making fashion statements, but should really be making political statements”. However, the designer is appreciative of their fashion sense. “Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pervez Musharraf, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Imran Khan — all of them are extremely stylish. As for the women, Hina Rabbani Khar, Benazir Bhutto, Maleeha Lodhi and Sherry Rehman are stylish to the core.”

Contrary to Adnan, Shamaeel Ansari believes the country’s male politicians need fashion advice. “Hina Rabbani Khar has turned out well. But the male politicians of Pakistan really need to go to designers,” said Ansari.

Across the border, Indian designer Anjalee Kapoor supported the young minister. “No one has the right to comment on the accessories Khar wore. It’s her personal style. As long as she can afford it, everything should be fine. It hardly matters if Pakistan is a poverty-stricken state. She belongs to a well-off family,” said Kapoor.

Another Indian designer Pam Mehta said that Khar looked extremely graceful in her kurta and pants, “and kept in tune with the traditional look and workmanship with fine embroidery and an extremely fresh colour palette. The accessorising was subdued and controlled with the subtlety of white pearls and a classic Birkin in black and sophisticated black shoes. Her look was not overstated, and was overall very sophisticated.”

Though Khar returned to Pakistan this week, she continues to be a topic of discussion for many Indians on Twitter who have been reacting strongly to the 34-year-old’s exclusive choice of accessories .

(WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM IANS)

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan-India dialogue: Khar says this time the talks will go on</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219647/pakistan-india-dialogue-khar-says-this-time-the-talks-will-go-on</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219647/pakistan-india-dialogue-khar-says-this-time-the-talks-will-go-on#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 11 04:26:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[abdul.manan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219647</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[India’s Foreign Office rejects claims that it was soft on Mumbai attacks .]]>
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				<![CDATA[Returning home after her most important assignment as foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said the dialogue process with India will no longer be interrupted.

Addressing a press conference on her arrival at the Lahore airport, the minister said both countries had agreed that the dialogue must be a continuous process, adding that talks lose credibility when disrupted.

Khar said a new level of engagement had been established between Islamabad and New Delhi. “I met Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and the talks were positive and constructive,” she said.

Khar said that she met political leaders across the country, including the leader of opposition, adding that India wants to resolve all issues including the Kashmir dispute.

The foreign minister said her meeting with politicians in Indian Kashmir had been highly criticised in India, while earlier in the day, Kashmiri Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Gilani was placed under house arrest again after his return from New Delhi where he had met Khar.

Meanwhile, facing criticism that India had given more than it had got in talks with Pakistan, India’s Foreign Office said on Thursday that there had been no dilution of the stand on terrorism.

The Indian government, in an unusual intervention said: “We categorically reject inferences that there was any expression of satisfaction on “the progress on Mumbai trial”. WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ADITI PHADNIS in New Delhi

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>The foreign minister wears Prada</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219332/the-foreign-minister-wears-prada</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219332/the-foreign-minister-wears-prada#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 17:38:05 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[sehar.tariq]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[What is not fair, and downright sexist, is bashing Khar on account of her looks and gender.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Hina Rabbani Khar was not my top choice for foreign minister. Others within the Pakistan Peoples Party were more qualified to be the country’s top diplomat. The blogosphere, email groups and Twitter feeds are buzzing with criticism from Pakistanis disappointed with Khar’s appointment as it epitomises the lack of merit, deep-rooted dynastic politics and the restrictive hold of the feudal classes on the political system. Criticism of her lack of expertise and the advantage offered by her family background are fair and deserve to be aired. What is not fair, and downright sexist, is bashing Khar on account of her looks and gender.

I’m not trying to be a wet-blanket feminist who tries to kill the fun in big boys talking politics and using ‘humour’ to add appeal to their writing. I like a good laugh too, but what I don’t like is a woman being singled out and ridiculed for things that her male predecessor was never targeted for, despite them bearing an uncanny resemblance to each other.

The dapper Shah Mahmood Qureshi was no less dashing or handsome as Khar is pretty. Especially when compared to some of his rotund, flame-bearded colleagues in parliament, much like Khar stands out when you compare her to her rotund colleagues. Qureshi was a sharp dresser, like Khar. Yet, while we have obsessed endlessly over the handbag she took to India, we never really paid much attention to the tie Qureshi wore at the joint press conference where prospects for India-Pakistan peace were butchered. I wonder why.

We’ve cried ourselves hoarse over Khar’s feudal background and her family’s influence in politics, but was there similar outrage among Pakistan’s mighty internet crusaders about Qureshi being the Shah Rukne Alam sajjada nashin, arguably the biggest source of his political clout? And there is also the small matter of Qureshi’s father having been the governor of Punjab, but somehow, in his case, familial linkages to the world of power and politics did not matter.

What does set Qureshi and Khar apart is the former’s longer record with the PPP. However, none of his previous experiences or portfolios provided any kind of training or expertise to head the foreign ministry. Yet this was not problematic in his case, as he dressed well and spoke English well. Khar dresses well too and can speak pretty good English. She has a degree in hospitality and tourism management which, some could argue, is better preparation for diplomacy than a law degree or experience with agriculture policy — Qureshi’s qualifications.

Hina Rabbani Khar’s appointment is symptomatic of many flaws in Pakistani society and politics, and are thus worthy of criticism. However, the kind of criticism that she has received is symptomatic of a deeply problematic gender bias in our society. Since her appointment, Khar has had to deal with slurs against her character, speculations about the methods she used to get to the top, snide remarks about her looks and accessories and a complete disregard for her intellect which has helped her manage several important portfolios.

She is not alone in facing such sexist onslaughts. Women in Pakistan who dare to look good and take pride in their femininity while wielding political power, like Sherry Rehman, will have to suffer numerous baseless insults about their character, integrity and competence. Only by turning themselves into an elderly maternal figure do women manage to get themselves taken seriously. Now that’s a pity. I don’t see men scurrying about to become brotherly or fatherly figures to the average Pakistani woman. Why must this be a woman’s lot if she is to be in power in Pakistan?

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>India ready to resolve all issues: Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219305/india-ready-to-resolve-all-issues-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219305/india-ready-to-resolve-all-issues-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 14:56:21 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219305</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Stresses on importance of building an atmosphere of trust between the two countries.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar reiterated her stance on having an uninterrupted and uninterruptible talks with India over all outstanding issues and that it was vital to ‘clear the air’ between the two nations, normalizing ties, on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference following her arrival at Lahore Airport, Khar said that she could safely say that the delegation saw a reciprocity on part of the Indian foreign ministry and the Indian government to normalize and improve relations with Pakistan and to take them to a different level, that of a good, friendly and neighborly relations. She added that the a medium term objective of at least, is to make this process (talks) uninterrupted and uninterruptible.  She placated fears of another say-all-do-nothing round of talks, saying a lot of groundwork is needed to bring talks back on track.

FM Khar reiterated that the talks were open and honest with dialogue on practically every ‘prickly’ issue, whether at operation or strategic level, that exist between the two countries which was encouraging for a bilateral and constructive relations between both countries.

She cited the joint statement, issued after her talks with SM Krishna, for more details and mentioned the highlights, comprising LoC trade CBMs, engagements over peace and security, visa regime, Indus water treaty and its centrality between India and Pakistan and the intention to reconvene the Pakistan-India joint commission, which to her, were signs of ties returning to normalcy.

Khar mentioned that PM Manmohan Singh greeted the delegation warmly, expressing India’s sincerity and commitment over resolving all outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir issue. She also spoke of her conveying PM Gilani’s invitation to PM Singh for visiting Pakistan, which was accepted graciously, though the details are yet to be decided.

Answering a question, she reiterated that the bilateral process needs to be uninterrupted so as not to lose the momentum gained in recent years, in mere hours, hence the need to ‘clear the air’ right now and re-engagement was important with a forward looking commitment to work out all issues.

“As of now it is important for Pakistan to normalize relations with India, since it’s a pre-requisite for us in order to resolve the issues mentioned in the question”, Khar said.

The FM said that during the talks no one back tracked from their stated positions, legal and political position.

On her meeting with Kashmiri leaders, she said that she had conveyed Pakistan’s stated position on the Kashmir issue and that Kashmir was an important stakeholder in determining the (people’s) fate.

She admitted that, as of now, the ‘stated positions’ on issues, of both the countries, were diverging but she stressed upon reforming our policy towards India and build a trust between each other, instead of considering them as an enemy state, since India wants a peaceful Pakistan as well.

Khar said that we have had differences for years and will continue having them but both countries need to give our relationship a chance since it is important for the region and for people of both nations, stressing upon a ‘people centric’ approach since without security, there can be no development.

She said that we have had continuous talks with India over the water dispute and that we should protect the sanctity of the Indus Water treaty. There are operational difficulties but the sanctity of the Indus Water treaty was vital for Pakistan.

Talking on trade with India, she said that ‘sky is the limit’ in terms of increasing the business volume since both countries have a lot of potential.

On the Indian media’s obsession with her, she dismissed it as a ‘paparazzi’ reporting by them. She said she was there for serious talks.

Earlier this week, the Pakistani Foreign Minister was in India for peace talks, where in she met her counterpart SM Krishna, including India'a top leadership.

(Read: Pakistan-India talks: Hina Rabbani Khar arrives in New Delhi)]]>
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			<title>My goal is to unburden Pak-India relationship: Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219086/my-goal-is-to-unburden-pak-india-relationship-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/219086/my-goal-is-to-unburden-pak-india-relationship-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 11 05:54:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=219086</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Khar said Mumbai attacks probe was conducted at a faster pace than Samjhauta Express blast case.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The newly appointed Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar said that the Mumbai attacks probe was on schedule as a part of a judicial process on which the Pakistan government had no say.

She made these comments during an interview with Asian News International.

When asked a question about investigations into the Mumbai attacks, she compared the probe to that of the Samjhuta Express blast case and said that the Mumbai attacks investigation was conducted at a faster pace.

She further said that the interior ministers of India and Pakistan have met and a judicial commission is scheduled to come to India which will speed up the process.

Khar said that it was not in the interest of the government of Pakistan to delay the investigations and that the Indian media should ‘empathise’ with Pakistan, which has a judicial course of action.

The Foreign Minister admitted that the two countries have a history of festering hostility and that it has been an unbalanced exchanged ever since the independence of India and Pakistan.

She said it was her ‘goal’ to unburden the Pak-India relationship and that both the countries have to let go off the hostilities that they have held to for long.

Khar admitted that the two countries have contentions that can only be sorted out through “well-directed” dialogue.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan-India relationship: ‘New era’ dawns in ties</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218365/india-pakistan-agree-to-push-for-stability-in-volatile-region</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218365/india-pakistan-agree-to-push-for-stability-in-volatile-region#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 11 11:00:02 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Aditi Phadnis]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218365</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Two countries cut a slew of deals to facilitate trade and travel across LoC.]]>
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				<![CDATA[As the Indian media swooned over Hina Rabbani Khar’s social graces and fashion sense, Jane Birkin handbag, Chanel sunglasses, her pearls and her diamonds, substantive gains were made in the people-to-people component of India’s relations with Pakistan in her talks with Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna.


But some Indian analysts raged and ranted over the manner in which New Delhi had ‘given up’ the initiative on terrorism and merely registered its ‘disapproval’ of Khar’s meeting with Kashmiri politicians.

However, those who want the India-Pakistan engagements to continue strongly backed Khar’s statement that dialogue between the two countries should be ‘uninterrupted and uninterruptible’ – a phrase that Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar claimed Khar had borrowed from him.

Appearing at a joint news conference with Khar after their two and half hours of talks, Krishna said ties were back ‘on the right track,’ while Khar spoke of a ‘mindset change’ that had ushered in a ‘new era of cooperation’.

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

Khar said: “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.”

On the thorny issue of terrorism, the two foreign ministers agreed to work more closely to fight militancy and to bring to justice perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks which, New Delhi believes, were carried out by Pakistan-based militants.

“We have agreed ...to fight and eliminate this scourge in all forms,” Krishna said. “We have also agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism to bring those responsible for terror crimes to justice.”

(Read: India, Pakistan in post-Mumbai phase)

Krishna said the two countries had agreed to ease travel restrictions, boost bus services frequency and double the number of days goods could be traded across the Line of Control – the de facto border in the Himalayan state of Kashmir. “I can confidently say our relations are on the right track,” he said.

A joint statement issued after the meeting outlined the commitment of both sides to fight terrorism, boost trade and keep the peace process going.

Indian foreign policy experts, including former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, objected to the reference to counterterrorism and progress on the Mumbai trials while omitting altogether any reference to the status of the trials of those charged in the conspiracy in Pakistan.“There should have been a more extended reference to terrorism,” said former deputy national security adviser Leela Ponappa.

Aside from an agreement on facilitating each other’s prisoners, the two sides also agreed on a slew of confidence building measures (CBMs) on Kashmir.

But on the progress of the trials of the Mumbai blasts, the Indian side said it got no convincing assurances from Pakistan.

“Pakistan said: we are also victims of terror. But where is the equivalence? Pakistan is a victim because of its own mistakes. But we (India) are victims because Pakistan nurtures terrorists. What has changed after these talks?” asked Kanwal Sibal.

Despite the official upbeat assessment of the talks, it appears that Khar’s meetings with Kashmiri politicians have not gone down well with the Indians. She met Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chiefs of their respective factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the meetings illustrated the ‘divergence’ between the two countries. “We have a very different point of view from Pakistan on that particular event (the meeting) and we have expressed our concerns in a frank and candid manner to the Pakistan side,” Rao told reporters.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir moved quickly to dismiss the Indian apprehensions. “This matter of the meeting yesterday cannot be construed in any manner including intentionally or by design to cast any shadow on today’s talks,” he said. “I think we should not read more into it.”

Prime Minister Singh accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan at mutually convenient dates. (With additional input from AFP)

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Delhi gushes over new Pakistani minister</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218360/delhi-gushes-over-new-pakistani-minister</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218360/delhi-gushes-over-new-pakistani-minister#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 11 07:04:24 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218360</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hina Rabbani Khar appeared to have had an instant impact on one of the world's most tense bilateral relations.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan's new 34-year-old female foreign minister has won instant fans in India where a flurry of flattering headlines Wednesday greeted her first trip to the country 

(Read: Talks in New Delhi)

Hina Rabbani Khar appeared to have had an instant impact on one of the world's most tense bilateral relations, with her photo adorning the front pages of most Indian newspapers amid high interest in her arrival."Pak Puts On Its Best Face," noted The Times of India, the biggest-selling English-language daily, while mass circulation Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times said India was "sweating over model-like minister."

(Read: Does your foreign minister own a Birkin?)

"Pak bomb lands in India," joked the Mumbai Mirror tabloid in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the history of wars between the countries and attacks by Pakistani militant groups on Indian soil.

In a rarity for the Indian media, not known for assessing the dress-sense of previous Pakistani visitors, the Mail Today tabloid devoted extensive space to her choice of outfit as she flew in to New Delhi airport on Tuesday.

"The 34-year-old minister scored full marks on the fashion front when she was spotted at the Delhi airport in a monotone outfit of blue -- the colour of the season," it said.

"Tasteful accessories -- Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, oversized Hermes Birkin bag and classic pearl jewellery -- added a hint of glamour to her look," it added.

The Telegraph newspaper meanwhile compared fresh-faced Khar, a married mother of two who caused a stir at home after being photographed in tight jeans, with her elderly counterpart SM Krishna.

"In the unkind world of adjectives, the odds are stacked against SMK and in favour of HRK," it said, using the ministers' initials.

"Khar carries with ease descriptions such as 'stunning' and 'petite'.

"Krishna, a 79-year-old who takes great pride in his tailored suits, might face a tough job attracting attention later Wednesday when the two pose for photographs at the start of their talks.

"All eyes on glamorous Pak minister," said the Rediff website. "She is clearly being looked at as a perfect combination of beauty and brains."

The Indian Twittersphere was also ablaze with commentary on the Pakistani envoy, who has taken over from Shah Mehmood Qureshi who drew criticism in the Indian media over his strong language last time he met Krishna.

Journalist and author Seema Goswami saw a link between the monsoonal downpour that struck the Indian capital Wednesday morning and the generally fawning coverage of Khar.

"Even the Delhi skies are drooling," she wrote.

In Pakistan, headscarf-wearing Khar has drawn inevitable comparisons to Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic female prime minister of Pakistan who was assassinated when trying to regain power in 2007.

Like Bhutto, she comes from one of Pakistan's leading political and land-owning families and her clan has extensive farms in Punjab, the richest and most populous province.

The foreign ministers of the nuclear-armed niehgbours are holding their first talks in a year, looking to breathe fresh life into a peace process still stifled by the trauma of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India suspended contacts with its arch-rival after the attacks and their peace dialogue has struggled to gain any real traction since its formal resumption earlier this year.

Observers expect little to emerge from Wednesday's meeting beyond some modest confidence-building measures connected to relatively uncontentious issues such as cross-border trade and people-to-people contacts.

_____________________________________________

[poll id="451"]]]>
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			<title>Kashmir sours India-Pakistan talks: Indian Govt source</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218350/kashmir-sours-india-pakistan-talks-indian-govt-source</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/218350/kashmir-sours-india-pakistan-talks-indian-govt-source#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 11 07:00:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=218350</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hina Rabbani Khar's meeting with Kashmiri leaders soured the atmosphere ahead of peace talks, says Indian govt source.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar's meeting with Kashmiri leaders soured the atmosphere ahead of peace talks with her Indian counterpart, an Indian government source said Wednesday.

(Read: Khar-Krishna talks: New minister, same message)

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over it since independence in 1947.

Activists in Indian Kashmir have waged decades of protests demanding self-rule, while New Delhi considers the whole of the territory an integral part of the country.

Khar, after arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, met Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the chairman of Hurriyat Conference and leader of mass protests against Indian rule last year.

"It was not a good idea at all," a senior government source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Since we have already said we are willing to have discussions on all issues with Pakistan, including the Jammu and Kashmir issue, no useful purpose can be served by such exercises," said the source.

He added that the meeting, at a time when the countries are trying to build trust and confidence in each other, "does not help the process at hand."

India and Pakistan's foreign ministers held their first talks in a year on Wednesday, looking to breathe fresh life into a peace process still stifled by the trauma of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India suspended contacts with Pakistan after the attacks and their peace dialogue has struggled to gain any real traction since its formal resumption earlier this year.

Observers expect little to emerge from Wednesday's meeting beyond some modest confidence-building measures connected to relatively uncontentious issues such as cross-border trade and people-to-people contacts.]]>
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			<title>Khar-Krishna talks: New minister, same message</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/217913/foreign-minister-reiterates-support-to-kashmir-issue</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/217913/foreign-minister-reiterates-support-to-kashmir-issue#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 11 06:45:24 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Aditi Phadnis]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan called for a new spirit of cooperation between their countries.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Having already captured the imagination of many in Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to a warm welcome, and on the back of a slew of confidence-building measures. However, her meeting with nationalist leaders from Indian Kashmir almost immediately after arriving, hit a few nerves – and put the enormity of today’s talks, and the waning Kashmir issue, back onto the centre stage.


Khar’s meetings with veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and then Mirwaiz Omar Farooq on Tuesday evening sent out a clear symbolic message about Pakistan’s continuing support for a cause that has suffered a setback in the wake of the arrest of US national Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, a Kashmir lobbyist booked last week in Washington for not disclosing the sources of his funding.

“We discussed a wide range of issues and pressed for making Kashmir a core issue during any negotiations between India and Pakistan,” Geelani told reporters following the meeting.

He said that it was conveyed to Islamabad that no solution will be accepted by the people of Jammu and Kashmir even though both India and Pakistan might agree to it. “Jammu and Kashmir is not a border dispute between India and Pakistan and as such it’s for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide their fate,” he said.

Spokesperson of the Geelani-led All-Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) faction Ayaz Akbar said that the party also pressed Islamabad to use diplomatic channels to secure the release of Kashmir lobbyist Dr Fai.

Members from the other APHC faction, led by Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, who had come from Srinagar, also met Khar at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Khar assured the delegation that Pakistan sought a resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Khar’s consulting of the Kashmiri leadership prior to her talks with her Indian counterpart SM Krishna on Wednesday (today) were not well-received by many in India. They felt that Khar’s meetings on Indian soil with groups avowedly against the unity and integrity of India was disrespectful and against the spirit in which the India-Pakistan ‘reengagement’ had started after a long hiatus following the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

However, advocates of India-Pakistan friendship such as MP Ram Jethmalani and retired foreign service officer MK Bhadrakumar urged a more relaxed view of the meetings, saying it was not the meeting that was important but the outcome.

“I have not had the pleasure of meeting Khar. But I think we have to take the meetings (with Kashmiri leaders) in the context of her statement when she arrived,” Jethmalani said, referring to Khar’s statement that both countries understand their responsibilities towards and within the region.

Rao-Bashir meetings

As Khar met the Kashmiri leaders, foreign secretaries Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir finalised a slew of confidence-building measures designed to expand intra-Kashmir travel and trade apart from holding discussions on terror, including progress in 26/11 attacks probe.

India handed over to the Pakistani delegation the revised list of ‘most wanted’ fugitives which contains 48 names. Interior Minister Rehman Malik, however, said that according to the Evidence Law governing Pakistan, it will not be possible to take voice samples of those India charges as being conspirators in the Mumbai attack.

At this Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram pointed out that there was no difference between the Indian and Pakistani Evidence Act and suggested to Malik that there were several ways of taking voice samples without influencing the trial.

But Indian home ministry sources said that Malik was adamant that it could be a violation of Pakistan’s constitution.

He said that the Pakistani government had appealed to the high court for permission to take these samples. “The moment the court permits us, we will definitely send (the voice samples to India). If the high court rejects it, we will go to the Supreme Court. We will exhaust every possible stage. We are doing (it) transparently and you can examine the law,” he said, adding that the delays were not because of Pakistan but because the incident had happened in another country.

Today’s talks

The issue of the Mumbai trial notwithstanding, there are high hopes from the foreign ministers’ meeting tomorrow.

Pakistan is the only South Asian country with which India does not have a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. While MFN status is a mere courtesy between nations, Islamabad had earlier linked it with a resolution of the Kashmir issue. The other issue is the 1,938 items on Pakistan’s “positive list”, again the only country in South Asia which has instituted such a list for India. This means that Pakistan will import only those items on the list and nothing else. Of these, only a hundred-odd items are allowed to be exported via Wagah.

In addition to her official meeting with Krishna on Wednesday, Khar will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani as well as opposition leader in Indian lower house of Parliament Sushma Swaraj. Khar will leave India on July 28.

Meanwhile, before leaving for New Delhi, a confident Khar told reporters at the Lahore airport that she believed that India and Pakistan are reasonable nations and the dialogue process will not only favour the people of the two countries but also the entire region.

“Time is not stagnant; every opportunity is a new opportunity and every challenge is a new challenge.” (With additional reporting by Abdul Manan in Lahore)

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan-India talks: Hina Rabbani Khar arrives in New Delhi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/217689/pakistan-india-talks-hina-rabbani-khar-arrives-in-new-delhi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/217689/pakistan-india-talks-hina-rabbani-khar-arrives-in-new-delhi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jul 11 12:14:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=217689</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister says Pakistan looking forward to developing sustainable dialogue with India.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday arrived in New Delhi for talks with her Indian counterpart SM Krishna.

Khar and Krishna will meet in New Delhi to agree on confidence-building measures, such as relaxing trade and travel restrictions across the ceasefire line dividing disputed Kashmir but are unlikely to make any headway on the thorny territorial issue of Kashmir itself, or on fighting militancy.

(Read: Timeline - Pak-India talks in perspective)

"We have learned lessons from history but are not burdened by history. We can move forward as good, friendly neighbours who have a stake in each other's future and who understand the responsibility that both the countries have to the region and within the region," Khar told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Khar's first major meeting in Delhi was with senior Kashmiri leaders, including Syed Ali Gilani, a sign of how the disputed region occupies the prime position in ties between Pakistan and India.

(Read: Time to forget Kashmir)

Speaking to the media before her departure from Lahore airport, Khar said Pakistan looks forward to developing sustainable dialogue with India to sort out issues affecting both countries.

She said both countries have acted responsibly and shown commitment to talks during the past few months.

The foreign minister said Islamabad wants nothing to affect these talks and they should continue at every level.

Khar told reporters that the government has taken all the political leaders including Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazalur Rehman into confidence on talks with India.

She said involvement of Kashmiris is important for a durable solution of Kashmir.

____________________________________________

[poll id="450"]]]>
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			<title>We want nothing but peace from neighbours: Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/216815/we-want-nothing-but-peace-from-neighbours-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/216815/we-want-nothing-but-peace-from-neighbours-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 11 04:56:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[abdul.manan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=216815</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says Pakistan will not accept India’s ‘supremacy’ in the region.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan expects nothing but peace from its neighbours but will not accept India’s supremacy in the region, newly-appointed Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said.


“Pakistan will not accept India’s supremacy in the region. Through the pursuance of an effective foreign policy, we will maintain [our] strategic importance in the region,” she told reporters at the Lahore airport upon her return from Bali, Indonesia where she represented Pakistan at the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) summit.

When asked about US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement during her India visit, she said that the US might want India to play a greater role but the reality is a lot different. “Pakistan’s stance is clear. Prime Minister Gilani has said that if the US recognises India’s role then it also recognises Pakistan’s,” she said, urging that the American statement must be taken with a pragmatic approach.

“Pakistan is a strategically-important country and no one, including the US, China or even India, want to play down its role. Thus, we should remain positive,” Khar said.

Speaking about her 45-minute meeting with Clinton on the sidelines of the Asean summit, Khar said that they both agreed that the countries need to get their bilateral relations back on track. “Pakistan and US have an important relationship and it is in our best national interest to continue an important working relationship with the US,” she said.

She said that the countries have strategic convergence despite the fact that a difference of opinion has arisen on Pakistan’s operational issues. “We emphasised that reservations regarding each other must be addressed and that these reservations are not a one-way street,” she said.

Speaking about the Asean summit, her first assignment as Pakistan’s foreign minister, she said that the forum emphasised that Pakistan needs the world’s support as it is at the forefront on the war against terrorism. Khar said she met the Chinese foreign minister as well.

When asked about the arrest of Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai in the US, she said that although Fai is an American citizen, it is a fact that he was fighting for the Kashmir cause. “As far as we know, Fai has worked within limitations and very systematically for the Kashmir cause and he has a global standing on the Kashmir issue,” she said. Speaking about his international recognition, she said that she had once met with him in Astana at a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Countries where he had come to attend a meeting of a special group on the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, on the invitation of the Pakistani High Commissioner to India, the All-Parties Hurriyet Conference chairperson Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani and other pro-liberation leaders will be travelling to New Delhi to meet Khar while she is in the Indian capital for the Indo-Pak foreign-ministerial level dialogue. Geelani is scheduled to leave for Delhi from Srinagar on Monday, while Mirwaiz will leave on Tuesday.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Foreign Minister to meet Indian Kashmiri leadership</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/216484/foreign-minister-to-meet-indian-kashmiri-leadership</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/216484/foreign-minister-to-meet-indian-kashmiri-leadership#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jul 11 14:32:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=216484</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The meeting is being seen as a move to take the Kashmiri leadership onboard regarding the Indo-Pak talks.]]>
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				<![CDATA[According to Kashmir Media Service on Sunday, State Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is scheduled to meet leaders of occupied Kashmir, during her visit to India.

The Pakistani High Commissioner to India has invited prominent leaders of occupied Kashmir to New Delhi during the Pakistan Delegation's visit.

APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gilani and pro-liberation leaders will meet Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar too.

Amongst other prominent Kashmiri leaders, Abdul Ghani Butt, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Bilal Ghani Lone, Agha Syed Hassan, Mukhtar Waza and Ayaz Akbar will also meet the Pakistani Foreign Minister.

The meeting with Kashmiri leaders, a day earlier, is being seen as a move to take the Kashmiri leadership onboard regarding the talks and the likely confidence building measures involving the LoC.

Rabbani is scheduled to hold talks with her Indian counterpart S. M. Krishna on July 27.

____________________________________________

[poll id="448"]

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Khar to US: No need for cajoling on militancy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/215796/india-serious-about-composite-dialogue-process-hina-rabbani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/215796/india-serious-about-composite-dialogue-process-hina-rabbani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jul 11 04:00:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=215796</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Foreign minister says she expects ‘positive developments’ in Pakistan’s relationship with India.]]>
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				<![CDATA[As Pakistan and the United States share a common, strategic aim of combating terror groups, Islamabad does not need any cajoling on the issue, newly appointed Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Saturday.


Khar’s remarks came after she held talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the 18th Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministerial Meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali.

For the past several months, Washington and Islamabad have been engaged in often bitter recriminations over the kind of cooperation they expect from each other in the battle against militants.

Asked if Clinton prodded her on tackling militants operating from within Pakistan, Khar said: “We have the same strategic objective.”

“Pakistan is the first one to suffer because of terrorism, because of militancy. Pakistan is doing it for itself. You don’t need cajoling on that; that is in our national interest.”

During their talks, Clinton underscored the importance of bilateral relations while noting that Pakistan, as a nation, had great potential. She said that terrorism was a common threat both to Pakistan and the US, and stressed the need for continued close cooperation.

The US secretary of state also congratulated Khar on assuming her new responsibilities.

India talks

On her upcoming talks with her Indian counterpart SM Krishna in New Delhi, Khar said: “My expectation is to have a positive development in our relationship with India.”

Khar declared the talks between her country and India as a positive step and said India was serious in the composite dialogue process. Talking to a private news channel, she said the priority of her government in the conference with India is to set a future direction in the bilateral relationship.

Highlighting Pakistan’s position during the upcoming talks with India, she said that the government wanted to “look at the entire picture and at the root causes of problems”. She said during the talks, the two sides will take stock of progress made at the secretary-level talks.

The foreign minister asserted that Pakistan was pro-actively engaging with neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan and India, to achieve sustainable peace and stability in the region. It has been a baptism by fire for Khar, who was appointed to the post just this week, after five months as minister of state for foreign affairs. Besides Clinton, she also met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the security forum in Indonesia.

The meeting with Krishna will put her at the forefront of a complex, mutually antagonistic and volatile relationship between the two countries.

Khar, 34, also said she was comfortable about being in a senior post at a young age.

“Our culture reveres anyone who has the ability to work for the country and young or old does not make such a difference as much as what your approach is, what your goals are and as much as how you approach a problem,” she said.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Answering Hina’s prayers</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/215856/answering-hina%e2%80%99s-prayers</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/215856/answering-hina%e2%80%99s-prayers#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 23 Jul 11 17:48:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[jyoti.malhotra]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=215856</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[With a week between them, how different Pakistan foreign minister’s message is going to be from what Americans left.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The monsoon has been so stingy with Delhi this year, sometimes I wonder why it even bothers. And then, you witness the gathering wind, the leaves soaking in the falling rain, the filtered play of light, and wonder if there’s some higher purpose.

Meanwhile, there’s the sound and fury accompanying the visits of two powerful women. Hillary Clinton and Hina Rabbani Khar have had a week between them, and one wonders how different the Pakistan foreign minister’s message is going to be from what the American left behind.

Hina was probably a student at university when Hillary lived in the White House, dealing with both power and peccadillo that was such an integral part of her husband’s personality. As America’s secretary of state, Clinton makes no bones about her views. She knows what she wants. She believes she knows how to get it.

Hillary’s determination was on display in Delhi and Chennai last week, both in her public spaces as well as in conversations with government officials. She made it clear at the press conference that Pakistan remained a key ally in the war against terror, but that “safe havens” for terrorists must be eliminated.

Hearing her, you would be forgiven for wondering if Hillary had borrowed the Indian Foreign Office’s brief. Eliminating safe havens in Pakistan? That’s India’s language. Other comments included, “We (stand) in favour of a stronger role for India in forums like the G-20” and “We look forward to a reformed Security Council that includes India as a permanent member.”

And then the clearest manifestation of the newly forged friendship: “My point today is (that) India’s rise is directly connected (with)… the cooperation we are forging to make both our countries stronger, more prosperous and better equipped to address the challenges we face.”

What’s going on here? India was supposed to be furious with the US for continuing to give Pakistan a long rope even after Osama bin Laden was found in the backyard of Pakistan’s military academy. The US was meant to be really upset with India for refusing to amend its legislation around nuclear commerce to allow US companies to make a ton of money.

Part of the answer can be found in recession-hit America’s desperation to cut business deals with India, as it continues to grow at a respectable 6-7 per cent. That is why Clinton publicly told India to lower its tariff barriers, open its market and buy US military equipment. In response, the Indians were tough on the visa embargo imposed on Indian software engineers — as many as 500,000 in the US already.

Clearly, it’s the economy, stupid. But you would miss the point if you didn’t catch the flavour of the India-US talks on the AfPak region. Evidently they were so ‘frank’ that the Indian side was frankly surprised. The gist of Hillary’s remarks seem to revolve around her wondering if the Pakistani establishment had made the complete connect between terrorists of all colours, between ‘good terrorists’ like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Quetta Shura, who could be controlled by the Pakistani state and ‘bad terrorists’ in the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, who couldn’t be.

It is in this light that Hina Rabbani Khar comes to Delhi this week. She has asked to pray at the Jama Masjid. One hopes she will include the improvement of the India-Pakistani political relationship in her invocation — and that her prayers will be answered.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Krishna congratulates Khar on assuming FM’s post</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/214095/krishna-congratulates-khar-on-assuming-fm%e2%80%99s-post</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/214095/krishna-congratulates-khar-on-assuming-fm%e2%80%99s-post#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 11 04:49:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Aditi Phadnis]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=214095</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Indian foreign minister sends a welcoming letter to his new counterpart.]]>
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				<![CDATA[He was born in 1932; she in 1977. Trying his best not to sound patronising despite such seniority, Indian foreign minister SM Krishna has written a letter to welcome Pakistan’s newly appointed and youngest ever foreign minister.


Hina Rabbani Khar, who was appointed just days before the upcoming round of talks with India, is also scheduled to meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during an ASEAN meeting in Indonesia later this week.

According to a foreign ministry statement Krishna looks forward to meeting her in New Delhi and hopes to work closely towards the common goal of establishing friendly bilateral relations in the interest of the people of both countries.

Khar, who will visit India on July 26 and 27, will get a courteous but guarded welcome as she arrives soon after fresh bomb blasts in Mumbai. Pakistan’s former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had ruffled some feathers here after his last encounter with Krishna in Pakistan, which had begun and ended in a tense mood owing to Indian Home Secretary’s remarks. Khar’s appointment, therefore, is being anticipated as a positive step to bridge differences.

Domestic Challenges

Ayesha Siddiqa, an expert on Pakistani military and the author of Military Inc says much of the foreign ministry’s bureaucracy headed by Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, who is a brother of the navy chief, is geared to serve the military’s purpose.

Shaukat Tarin, who served as Pakistan’s finance minister when Khar was minister of state feels, “This will not be an easy ride because of the complex issues being faced by Pakistan and the way foreign policy is formulated within our country where there are many influence groups which the foreign minister has to work with.”

Meanwhile President Asif Ali Zardari said in a statement that her appointment is “a demonstration of the government’s commitment to bring women into the mainstream and would send positive signals about Pakistan’s soft image.” [With additional input from Reuters]

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>A new foreign minister</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/213685/a-new-foreign-minister</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/213685/a-new-foreign-minister#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 11 15:55:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=213685</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ms Khar has shown in her relatively brief career as a politician that she is quite capable of going about her mission.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Fresh air blowing through the often stagnant realm of political life is usually a rarity. It blows in only now and then and this time seems to have done so with the appointment of Hina Rabbani Khar as Pakistan’s new foreign minister. Ms Khar breaks away from the conventional image of persons entrusted to such key portfolios. In the first place, she is a woman; in the second she is young. We must hope these factors alone can bring in some fresh thinking into the running of foreign policy and how to improve Pakistan’s declining standing in the region. Ms Khar has shown over her relatively brief career as a politician that she is quite capable of going about her mission with determination and sincerity. This is what the Pakistan Foreign Office needs right now. There have been too many months of floundering, bickering and uncertainty.

Some issues, however, go beyond the questions of who is acting as minister. It is essential to the needs of Pakistan and its people that its foreign policy be an independent one, with parliament exercising control over it as should be in the case of a democracy, with the military establishment in the background. Of course, this is easier said than done, and hence the perception that the Foreign Office acts on the dictates of the establishment will be hard to change any time soon. On some issues, such as ties with India and the US, the civilians need to assert themselves and if they did it could have a positive outcome — certainly in the case of India where all political parties want greater engagement with it. Foreign policy should be based on the wishes and aspirations of the people of Pakistan as express through their elected representatives and should not be based on other extraneous factors.

This will be one of the main challenges Ms Khar faces in the future. She also takes over her assignment at a time when there is friction with the US and a degree of doubt over how things should proceed with Washington. All these matters will need to be addressed and worked out in the coming days. We believe Ms Khar has the capability and the capacity of doing this in a professional and intelligent manner. The future in terms of foreign policy may be brighter than before.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Khar becomes first female foreign minister of Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/212999/hina-rabbani-khar-takes-oath-as-foreign-minister</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/212999/hina-rabbani-khar-takes-oath-as-foreign-minister#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 11 05:35:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=212999</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Will head a delegation for minister-level talks to India next week.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Hina Rabbani Khar took oath on Tuesday as the foreign minister, becoming the first Pakistani woman to be appointed to the position.


At a ceremony held at the President House, acting president Farooq H Naek administered the oath to Khar as the 26th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.

Khar, 34, will now head the Pakistani delegation to India for the ministerial-level talks scheduled to begin in New Delhi on July 26.

Khar’s first assignment will be the 18th session of the Association for South East Asian Nations (Asean) regional forum to be held in Indonesia later this week. At the sidelines of the conference, Khar is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, Khar met Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal at the Foreign Office on Tuesday. Sabharwal told Khar that Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is looking forward to her visit to India.

Khar said that the dialogue process should be uninterrupted and uninterruptable. “Ensuring cooperative relations with countries of the region is at the forefront of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” she told the Indian envoy.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2011.]]>
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