Bilawal takes oath as foreign minister

President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday administered the oath of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the federal minister for foreign affairs.

The PPP chief took oath following the approval of the party’s top decision-making body a day earlier.

Speaking at a news conference after the PPP Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on Tuesday, the scion of the Bhutto family said that big challenges lied ahead but assured that the incumbent government would overcome them.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the oath-taking ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr which was attended by former president Asif Ali Zardari, ex-prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and a large number of parliamentarians, party workers, and government officials.

His close family members, including his sister Aseefa Bhutto and maternal aunt Sanam Bhutto, also attended the ceremony.

Bilawal Bhutto joined the cabinet in the third phase of its formation as the earlier swearing-in ceremonies were taken place on April 19 and April 22.

The new cabinet reflects the political mix of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM).