Hina Rabbani Khar

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Hina Rabbani Khar

| native_name = {{nobold|حنا ربانی کھر}}

| image = Hina Rabbani Khar Jan 2023.jpg

| caption = Khar in 2023

| office = Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

| primeminister = Shehbaz Sharif

| minister = Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

| term_start = 19 April 2022

| term_end = 10 August 2023

| predecessor = Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan

| succeeded by =

| office1 =

| primeminister1 = Yusuf Raza Gillani

| term_start1 = 11 February 2011

| term_end1 = 19 July 2011

| predecessor1 = Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan

| successor1 = Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan

| office2 = Minister of Foreign Affairs

| primeminister2 = Yusuf Raza Gillani
Raja Pervez Ashraf

| term_start2 = 19 July 2011

| term_end2 = 16 March 2013

| predecessor2 = Shah Mehmood Qureshi

| successor2 = Mir Hazar Khan Khoso {{small|(Acting)}}

Sartaj Aziz {{small|(de facto)}}

| office3 = Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs

| primeminister3 = Yusuf Raza Gillani

| term_start3 = 24 March 2008

| term_end3 = 11 February 2011

| predecessor3 = Ali Nazary

| successor3 = Dost Muhammad Mazari

| office4 = Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan

| term_start4 = 29 February 2024

| term_end4 =

| constituency4 = Reserved seat for women

| term_start5 = 13 August 2018

| term_end5 = 10 August 2023

| constituency5 = Reserved seat for women

| term_start6 = 25 May 2013

| term_end6 = 25 May 2018

| constituency6 = Reserved seat for women

| term_start7 = 17 March 2008

| term_end7 = 16 March 2013

| constituency7 = NA-177 (Muzaffargarh-II)

| term_start8 = 16 November 2002

| term_end8 = 15 November 2007

| constituency8 = NA-177 (Muzaffargarh-II)

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|11|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

| party = {{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan People's Party.svg}} PPP (2008-present)

| otherparty = PML(Q) (2002-2008)

| spouse = {{marriage|Feroze Gulzar|1999}}

| children = 3

| nationality = Pakistani

| alma_mater = Lahore University of Management Sciences{{cite web

|url=http://lums.edu.pk/event-detail/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar-to-speak-at-lums-517

|title=Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Speak at LUMS

|publisher=LUMS

|date=30 April 2012 |access-date=20 January 2012 |url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512203958/http://lums.edu.pk/event-detail/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar-to-speak-at-lums-517

|archive-date=12 May 2012

}}

University of Massachusetts, Amherst{{cite web|url=http://umassalumni.com/profiles/2011/hina_khar.html |title=Alumna to be Pakistan's new Foreign Minister |publisher=University of Massachusetts Amherst |access-date=20 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019062959/http://umassalumni.com/profiles/2011/hina_khar.html |archive-date=19 October 2013}}

| father = Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar

| relatives = Ghulam Mustafa Khar (uncle)
Aaminah Haq (cousin)

| native_name_lang = ur

| honorific_prefix = Jinda

}}

Hina Rabbani Khar{{efn|Urdu: {{Nastaliq|حنا ربانی کھر}}}} (born 19 November 1974){{cite web| url=http://www.mofa.gov.pk/mfa/pages/article.aspx?id=43&type=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180308/http://www.mofa.gov.pk/mfa/pages/article.aspx?id=43&type=4|archive-date=24 July 2011|title=Hina Rabbari Khar|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs|access-date=1 October 2015}} is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 19 April 2022 to 10 August 2023. She previously served as Foreign Minister of Pakistan from July 2011, the first woman to hold the position,{{Cite web|title = Hina Rabbani Khar|url = http://www.dawn.com/news/729375/hina-rabbani-khar-2|website = www.dawn.com|date = 25 June 2012|access-date = 22 February 2016|last = Dawn.com}} and was a member of the National Assembly from August 2018 to August 2023.

Khar is a member of an influential feudal family in Muzaffargarh. She studied business at LUMS and University of Massachusetts Amherst before entering politics as a member of the national assembly in 2002, representing the PML-Q and becoming a junior minister responsible for economic policy under the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. In 2009, after switching parties and winning re-election with the Pakistan Peoples Party, she became the Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs and the same year became the first woman to present the national budget.^[5] She was appointed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan in July 2011, and served until shortly before the 2013 election, when she retired from active politics. She has continued to push for stronger ties with India.{{Cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/world/pakistans-national-identity-is-to-hate-others-hina-rabbani-khar-please-tell-us-something-new-2860106.html|title='Pakistan's national identity is to hate others': Hina Rabbani Khar, please tell us something new - Firstpost|date=28 June 2016|language=en-US|access-date=31 August 2016}}

She remains a member of the Pakistan People's Party, and is a public speaker on foreign policy.{{Cite web|title = Reaffirming loyalties: Hina Rabbani Khar is not joining PTI, says Ghulam Rabbani - The Express Tribune|url = http://tribune.com.pk/story/914467/reaffirming-loyalties-hina-rabbani-khar-is-not-joining-pti-says-ghulam-rabbani/|website = The Express Tribune|date = 3 July 2015|access-date = 22 February 2016|language = en-US}} As of 2019, she was a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan on a reserved seat for women.

Early life and family

Hina Rabbani Khar was born in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan{{cite news |title=Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar |url=http://www.firstpost.com/hina-rabbani-khar/video/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar/3753808q03h1H0MiMB11.html |work=First Post (India) |access-date=29 April 2013 |quote=Hina Rabbani Khar was born on 19 November 1963 in Multan, Punjab |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019040904/http://www.firstpost.com/hina-rabbani-khar/video/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar/3753808q03h1H0MiMB11.html |archive-date=19 October 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/national/25-Feb-2008/electoral-results-by-caste |title=Electoral results by caste |website=Daily Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113937/http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/national/25-Feb-2008/electoral-results-by-caste |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=dead}} into a Khar clan, part of the larger Kharal tribe of Jats. Khar is the daughter of the powerful feudal landlord and politician Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21578104-wrestlers-son-overthrows-landed-gentry-gone-wind|title=Gone with the wind|newspaper=The Economist|issn=0013-0613|access-date=31 August 2016}} Her father was a prominent national politician and served as a member of the National Assembly. She is a niece of Ghulam Mustafa Khar, the former Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab.{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/people/who-is-hina-rabbani-khar-500268|title=Who is Hina Rabbani Khar?|last=Das|first=Mala|date=27 September 2012|publisher=NDV|access-date=20 January 2013}} and she is married to Feroz Gulzar.{{Cite web |title=National Assembly of Pakistan |url=https://na.gov.pk/en/profile.php?uid=1544 |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=na.gov.pk}}

=Education=

Khar is a graduate of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) where she holds a BSc (with honors) in Economics conferred in 1999. She subsequently studied in Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned an MSc in Business Management in 2002.

Khar has retained ties with LUMS since her graduation. In 2012, she delivered a lecture there on "Foreign Policy and Young Democracy", and secured funding for the Abdus Salam Institute of Physics.{{cite web|url=http://lums.edu.pk/news-detail/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar-speaks-at-lums-521|title=Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Speaks at LUMS|last=LUMS|publisher=LUMS Editorial Newspaper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503040658/http://lums.edu.pk/news-detail/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar-speaks-at-lums-521|archive-date=3 May 2012|work=Press Release of LUMS Editorial Newspaper|access-date=22 January 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.gov.pk/documents/LUMS_speech.pdf|title=Foreign Policy and Young Democracy|last=Khar, Her Excellency|first=Hina|publisher=LUMS, Paper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512081329/http://www.mofa.gov.pk/documents/LUMS_speech.pdf|archive-date=12 May 2012|work=Hina Rabbani Khar presented her paper at LUMS on 30 April 2012|access-date=22 January 2013}}

{{anchor|Statesmanship}}Political career

In the 2002 general elections, Khar was elected as a member of the National Assembly, representing the NA-177 (Muzaffargarh-II) constituency in Punjab. Her father, veteran politician Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar, had represented the constituency previously, but he and most of the members of her family had been disqualified.{{cite web|last=M Ilyas Khan|title=Will Pakistan's first woman foreign minister make a difference?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14222438|work=BBC News|date=21 July 2011| access-date=15 September 2012}} A new law requiring all parliamentary candidates to hold a university degree meant that he and they could not run that year.{{cite news|url=http://archives.dawn.com/weekly/herald/herald59.htm |title=District Profile: Southern Punjab- Muzaffargarh |newspaper=Dawn |location=Karachi |access-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927162232/http://archives.dawn.com/weekly/herald/herald59.htm |archive-date=27 September 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ecp.gov.pk/GE/2002/National.pdf|title=Pakistani general election, 2002: constituency-wise detailed results|publisher=Election Commission of Pakistan|page=48|access-date=15 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503232440/http://ecp.gov.pk/GE/2002/National.pdf|archive-date=3 May 2012}}{{cite news| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hina-Rabbani-Khar-a-misfit-say-most-Pakistanis/articleshow/9362502.cms| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924124932/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-25/pakistan/29812173_1_ghulam-noor-rabbani-khar-pakistani-soldier-powerful-security-establishment| url-status=live| archive-date=24 September 2012|title=Hina Rabbani Khar a misfit, say most Pakistanis|newspaper=The Times of India|last=Khan| first=Omer Farooq|date=25 July 2011|access-date=15 September 2012}} With the financial support of her father who addressed rallies on her behalf, she campaigned on a newly founded PML-Q platform against the Pakistan Muslim League, with her face not appearing on her own election posters.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/29/india-pakistan-kashmir-policy| title=Pakistan foreign minister bags attention on India trip|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|last=Walsh|first=Declan|date=29 July 2011|access-date=15 September 2012}}

= Economic and Finance positions =

{{Main|Cabinet of Pakistan|Pakistani parliamentary election, 2008}}

Khar came to prominence during the Shaukat Aziz government and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Affairs and Statistics in 2003, and being named Minister of State for Economic Affairs the following year, a post she retained until 2007.{{cite web | url=http://www.competitiveness.org.pk/BoD/CV%20Hina%20Rabbani%20Khar.pdf | title=CV| publisher=Competitiveness Support Fund | access-date = 6 March 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120331110941/http://www.competitiveness.org.pk/BoD/CV%20Hina%20Rabbani%20Khar.pdf|archive-date = 31 March 2012

}}{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/212228/government-to-appoint-hina-rabbani-khar-as-foreign-minister/|title=Government to appoint Hina Rabbani Khar as Foreign Minister|website=The Express Tribune|date=18 July 2011 |quote=Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who first appointed her as parliamentary secretary for economic affairs and statistics. She was then made minister of state.}} As minister of state, she worked with international relief funds and charities after the deadly 2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan, and also worked on proposals for the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India pipeline.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticlePrintPage.aspx?id=1685517&language=en|title=KUNA :: India hosts regional Econ. Coop. Conference on Afghanistan 06/11/2006|website=www.kuna.net.kw|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001185720/http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticlePrintPage.aspx?id=1685517&language=en|archive-date=1 October 2016|url-status=dead}}

In 2007, she made an unsuccessful attempt to renew her alliance with the PML-Q, but the party denied her a ticket platform to campaign for re-election in 2008. She was subsequently invited to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and successfully campaigned for her constituency for a second time. The PPP secured a plurality of the votes and formed a left-wing alliance with the Awami National Party, MQM and PML-Q.{{cite news|url=http://dawn.com/2012/10/05/the-hunt-for-electoral-alliances-2/|title=The hunt for electoral alliances|last=Ghumman|first=Khawar|date=5 October 2012|newspaper=Dawn|location=Karachi|access-date=15 September 2012}}

== Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs ==

After her 2008 re-election, she was appointed Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs in the cabinet of Yousaf Raza Gillani. She worked on the financial budget and economic policies in the absence of the then Finance Minister and on 13 June 2009 she successfully presented the 2010 federal budget in the Parliament and has the distinction of being the first woman politician to present the Pakistani budget in the National Assembly. She also worked on reducing Pakistan's circular debt within the energy sector.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2010/11/03/national/circular-debt-issue-to-be-signally-resolved-in-9-months-hina/|title=Circular debt issue to be 'signally resolved' in 9 months: Hina|access-date=30 September 2016|date=3 November 2010|last=Bukhari|first=Irfan}}

=Foreign minister=

File:Secretary Clinton Meets With Pakistani Foreign Minister Khar (8010786438).jpg Hillary Clinton]]

Khar was appointed as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs—the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—on 11 February 2011, as part of Gillani's cabinet reshuffle. Gillani did not reappoint Shah Mehmood Qureshi as Foreign Minister, and that position was left empty.{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/12/some-heavyweights-left-out-of-22-member-new-cabinet.html | title=Some heavyweights left out of 22-member new cabinet. | newspaper=Dawn | location=Karachi | first=Ahmad | last=Hassan | date=12 February 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 }} In the absence of any Foreign Minister, she was the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for five months until her formal appointment as Foreign Minister on 18 July; she was sworn in on 19 July, becoming the youngest and first female Minister of Foreign Affairs.{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-selects-female-envoy-for-india-talks-2315911.html | title=Pakistan selects female envoy for India talks | last=Buncombe | first=Andrew | newspaper=The Independent | location=London | date=19 July 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 | archive-date=29 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329002612/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-selects-female-envoy-for-india-talks-2315911.html | url-status=dead }}{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/19/hina-rabbani-khar-sworn-in-as-foreign-minister.html | title=Hina Rabbani Khar sworn in as foreign minister | newspaper=Dawn | location=Karachi | date=19 July 2011 |access-date=15 September 2012 }} President Asif Ali Zardari, who succeeded Pervez Musharraf in 2008, said the appointment was "a demonstration of the government's commitment to bring women into the mainstream of national life".{{cite news | url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-26/news/29816352_1_hina-rabbani-khar-asif-ali-zardari-pakistan-ambassador/2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523190537/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-26/news/29816352_1_hina-rabbani-khar-asif-ali-zardari-pakistan-ambassador/2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=23 May 2012 | title=Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's foreign minister: Just a Greenhorn or Rising star? | newspaper=The Economic Times | location=Mumbai | last=Ghosh | first=Labonita | date=26 July 2011 | page=2 | access-date=15 September 2012 }} She was appointed foreign minister during a difficult time in Pakistan: when the country's armed forces were confronting extreme elements in Western Pakistan and anti-American emotions ran high over the Raymond Davis incident.{{cite news |url=http://dawn.com/2011/01/28/us-official-guns-down-two-motorcyclists-in-lahore.html |title=US official guns down two motorcyclists in Lahore|last=Chaudhry|first = Asif | date=28 January 2011|newspaper=Dawn |location=Karachi | access-date=20 January 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hina-Rabbani-Khar-is-Pakistans-new-foreign-minister/articleshow/9272745.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721071539/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-18/pakistan/29786411_1_hina-rabbani-khar-foreign-minister-foreign-secretary |url-status=live |archive-date=21 July 2011 |title=Hina Rabbani Khar is Pakistan's new foreign to minister|last=Khan |first = Omer Farooq | date=18 July 2011|newspaper=The Times of India | access-date=20 January 2013}}

Shortly after her appointment, Khar visited India and held peace talks with her Indian counterpart, S. M. Krishna. Relations between the two countries had been suspended following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and did not resume until February 2011, five months before her visit.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14291484 | title=India and Pakistan relations 'on right track' | publisher=BBC News | date=27 July 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 }} The Indian media reported extensively on her fashion and appearance, including her Birkin bag, sunglasses, Jimmy Choo stilettos and pearl necklaces.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-foreign-minister-20110806,0,7214724.story |title=Pakistan's top envoy gets points for style, but at home questions loom |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |last=Rodriguez |first=Alex |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927201719/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-foreign-minister-20110806%2C0%2C7214724.story |archive-date=27 September 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/hina-rabbani-khar-an-instant-hit-with-indian-media-and-masses-alike/articleshow/9381861.cms |title=Hina Rabbani Khar: An instant hit with Indian media and masses alike |newspaper=The Economic Times |location=Mumbai |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306035905/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/hina-rabbani-khar-an-instant-hit-with-indian-media-and-masses-alike/articleshow/9381861.cms |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/High-on-fashion-Birkin-pearls-a-few-of-Pakistan-foreign-ministers-favourite-things/articleshow/9389541.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924124837/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-28/india/29824352_1_hina-rabbani-khar-income-tax-birkin | url-status=live | archive-date=24 September 2012 | title=High on fashion: Birkin, pearls a few of Pakistan foreign minister's favourite things | date=28 July 2011 | newspaper=The Times of India | access-date=25 June 2012 }} She held talks with leaders of the Hurriyat Conference before meeting Indian government representatives, a decision which was criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's biggest political party,{{ cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-foreign-minister-starts-India-visit-by-meeting-Kashmiri-separatists/articleshow/9377168.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915015225/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-27/india/29820249_1_hina-rabbani-khar-separatist-leaders-rao-and-bashir | url-status=live | archive-date=15 September 2012 | title=Pak foreign minister starts India visit by meeting Kashmiri separatists | date=27 July 2011 | newspaper=The Times of India | access-date=15 September 2012 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/BJP-protests-Khar-Hurriyat-meet-slow-pace-of-26-11-trial/Article1-726442.aspx |title=BJP protests Khar-Hurriyat meet, slow pace of 26/11 trial |newspaper=Hindustan Times |location=New Delhi |date=28 July 2011 |access-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728095059/http://www.hindustantimes.com/BJP-protests-Khar-Hurriyat-meet-slow-pace-of-26-11-trial/Article1-726442.aspx |archive-date=28 July 2011}} which said it was a breach of protocol and demanded an inquiry into the matter.{{cite news | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_bjp-demands-inquiry-into-khar-kashmiri-separatists-meeting_1569982 | title=BJP demands inquiry into Khar-Kashmiri separatists meeting | newspaper=Daily News and Analysis | location=Mumbai | date=27 July 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 }} She later led an unsuccessful move to grant India most favoured nation status.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6670de68-f8bb-11e0-ad8f-00144feab49a.html|title=Pakistan and India in historic trade push|last1=Lamont|first1=James|date=17 October 2011|last2=Bokhari|first2=Farhan|newspaper=Financial Times|issn=0307-1766|access-date=31 August 2016}} In August 2011 she visited China and held talks with Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Foreign Minister.{{cite news | url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-24/pakistan/29922286_1_hina-rabbani-khar-china-ties-trade-ties | title=Pakistan, China ties are unique: Hina Rabbani Khar | date=24 August 2011 | newspaper=The Times of India | access-date=15 September 2012 }}{{dead link|date=October 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Hindustan Times reported that, in contrast to her reception in India, she was largely ignored by the Chinese media.{{cite news | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/236948/foreign-minister-hina-rabbani-khar-to-visit-china/| title=Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to visit China| newspaper=The Express Tribune | date=22 August 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 }}

The NATO strike which killed 24 Pakistani troops was one of the most notable incidents during her tenure and Foreign Minister Khar stated that the government of Pakistan and defense committees had approved a measure—similar to a parliamentary resolution put forward after bin Laden's May 2011 death—that formally bars NATO and ISAF forces from using Pakistan's supply routes.{{cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/02/world/asia/pakistan-nato-airstrikes/index.html | title=U.S. talked with Pakistan before fatal airstrike, yet questions remain. | publisher=CNN International | first=Barbara | last=Starr | date=2 December 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 }} Pakistan continued to demand a U.S. apology, and on 6 June 2012, Khar argued that "higher principles should take precedence over politically popular considerations", and challenged the U.S. to "live up to its democratic ideals by respecting the will of Pakistan’s elected legislature".{{cite news | url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-15148-Khar-renews-call-for-apology-over-Salala-attack | title=Khar renews call for apology over Salala attack | newspaper=The News International | location=Karachi | date=6 June 2012 | access-date=26 June 2012 }} On 15 December 2011, when the United States suspended financial aid to Pakistan, Khar warned that their actions would be responsible for losing the war on terror, since Pakistan could not win without U.S. assistance.{{cite news | title=US will be responsible for defeat in war on terror: Hina Khar | url=https://bajtestate.com/us-responsible-if-pakistan-loses-war-on-terror-fm-hina-rabbani-khar/ | newspaper=The Nation | location=Lahore | date=15 December 2011 | access-date=15 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119082344/https://bajtestate.com/us-responsible-if-pakistan-loses-war-on-terror-fm-hina-rabbani-khar/ | archive-date=19 January 2013 | url-status=live}}

File:Khar with her lunch.JPG Conference in 2013.]]

On 21 January 2012, Khar secretly left for Moscow with an agenda of strengthening bilateral relations, with Pakistan's relationship with the United States strained.{{cite news | last=Kamran | first=Yousaf|title=Khar off to Russia with love | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/324922/khar-off-to-russia-with-love/ | access-date=9 September 2012 | newspaper=The Express Tribune | location=Karachi | date=21 January 2012 | page=1 | quote=In a development that signifies a paradigm shift in the country’s decades-old foreign policy, Pakistan is set to formally invite the Russian president to undertake a visit at a time when its relationship with the United States is faltering}} On this trip invited the Russian leadership to visit Pakistan and to maintain bilateral cooperation and commitment and support for "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" efforts for peace in the country.{{cite news | last=APP | title=Working together: Pakistan, Russia vow to support Afghan peace initiative | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/333452/pakistan-russia-agree-to-promote-bilateral-relations/ | access-date=15 September 2012 | newspaper=The Express Tribune | location=Karachi | date=9 February 2012}} On 12 August 2012, while speaking at the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, Khar maintained that regional stability was imperiled due to the increasing tensions relating to Iran's nuclear program, and a "peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible on the basis of reciprocal confidence-building measures and security assurances against external threats".{{cite news | last=APP | title=NAM summit: Khar fears Iran conflict may fuel instability|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/427632/nam-summit-khar-fears-iran-conflict-may-fuel-instability/ | access-date=15 September 2012 | newspaper=The Express Tribune | location=Karachi | date=29 August 2012}}

During her short visit to Bangladesh on 9 November 2012, Khar was approached by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dipu Moni to sort out post-independence issues between the countries.{{cite news | url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=256936 | title=PM to visit Pakistan to attend D-8 summit | newspaper=The Daily Star | location=Dhaka | last=Karim | first=Rezaul | date=10 November 2012 | access-date=28 November 2012}} Khar called for the two countries to move ahead together.

While the election was being scheduled, the PPP completed five-year election term in March 2013, so the government was replaced by a caretaker prime minister and cabinet, in which Khar was not a member, until the election took place.Article 224 (Clause 1A–1B) in [http://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part8.ch2.html Chapter 2, Part VIII] of the Constitution{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia/2013/03/2013316193951188553.html|title=Pakistan government completes full term|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=20 October 2016}} This ended Khar's two-year role as Foreign Minister.{{cite news|url=http://www.nation.com.pk/national/03-Apr-2013/caretaker-khoso-s-cabinet-sworn-in|title=Caretaker Khoso's cabinet sworn in|last=Malik|first=Maqbool|date=3 April 2013|work=The Nation}} In April 2013, Khar announced that she was standing down at the next general election, so that her father, who had previously been ineligible to stand as a candidate, could succeed her. The condition requiring parliamentary candidates to hold a university degree, which had led to Khar replacing her father in 2002, had been lifted since the most recent general election.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/299315/supreme-court-scraps-graduation-condition|title=Supreme Court scraps graduation condition|last=Iqbal|first=Nasir|date=22 April 2008|access-date=31 August 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/537638/nomination-withdrawn-hina-rabbani-khar-steps-down-in-favour-of-her-father/|title=Nomination withdrawn: Hina Rabbani Khar steps down in favour of her father - The Express Tribune|date=19 April 2013|language=en-US|access-date=31 August 2016}} The PPP came second in the election, losing 74 seats;{{Cite web|url=http://www.na.gov.pk/en/party-stats.php|title=National Assembly of Pakistan|website=www.na.gov.pk|access-date=31 August 2016}} Khar's father was defeated in his bid to regain his former seat, although he was able to regain the seat in a by-election held later that year.{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21578104-wrestlers-son-overthrows-landed-gentry-gone-wind|title=Pakistan's waning feudalism: Gone with the wind|date=18 May 2013|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=24 September 2016}}

== Significance ==

File:Pakistan Foreign Minister at the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue Review (6916992061).jpgShe is widely credited for her role as the youngest and first ever female Foreign Minister in Pakistan. She assumed her role in July 2011 as the 26th Foreign Minister of Pakistan.{{Cite web |title=Hina Rabbani Khar - Agenda Contributor |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/hina-rabbani-khar/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}} During her two-year-long appointment as the country's foreign minister she attracted significant global attention on her status as Pakistan's first woman foreign minister.{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/205051/indo-pak-talks-hina-rabbani-to-lead-delegation-to-india/|title=Indo-Pak talks: Hina Rabbani to lead delegation to India - The Express Tribune|website=The Express Tribune|date=7 July 2011 |language=en-US|access-date=22 February 2016}} She was interviewed by Charlie Rose,{{Citation|last=Charlie Rose|title=Hina Rabbani Khar (01/14/13) {{!}} Charlie Rose|date=14 January 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfvyzO1Vs9o|access-date=22 February 2016}} CBS News{{Citation|last=CBS News|title=The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley - Is Pakistan aiding terror attacks on the U.S.?|date=23 September 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DH-5GLMuZ0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/4DH-5GLMuZ0 |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=22 February 2016}}{{cbignore}} and Washington Post{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-foreign-minister-on-us-relations/2011/09/25/gIQAhEDEwK_video.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928073758/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-foreign-minister-on-us-relations/2011/09/25/gIQAhEDEwK_video.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2011|title=Pakistan foreign minister on U.S. relations|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=22 February 2016}} among others.{{Citation|last=NDTV|title=No love lost for Hafiz Saeed: Hina Rabbani Khar to NDTV|date=8 September 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF8DJTMmIKU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/KF8DJTMmIKU |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=22 February 2016}}{{cbignore}} She served as a high-ranking member of the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party from 2008 until 2013, when she retired from politics.{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/532182/hina-rabbani-khar-not-to-run-for-second-stint-in-national-assembly/|title=Hina Rabbani Khar not to run for another stint in National Assembly - The Express Tribune|website=The Express Tribune|date=6 April 2013 |language=en-US|access-date=22 February 2016}} She is widely regarded as one of the highest ranking women in Pakistani politics.

= Post-ministerial career =

Since standing down, Khar has been an active public speaker. In an interview with Al Jazeera in December 2015, she accused the US government supporting military regimes in Pakistan.{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-has-immense-fascination-for-military-regimes-in-pakistan-hina-rabbani-khar/articleshow/50249716.cms|title=US has immense fascination for military regimes in Pakistan: Hina Rabbani Khar - The Economic Times|newspaper=The Economic Times |date=19 December 2015 |access-date=31 August 2016}} She has written op-ed's for Newsweek Pakistan{{Cite web|url=http://newsweekpakistan.com/if-not-now/|title=If Not Now|website=Newsweek Pakistan|date=31 December 2014 |language=en-US|access-date=22 February 2016}} and was interviewed by Mehdi Hasan at the Oxford Union in December 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/2015/12/rules-pakistan-151201112941549.html|title=Who rules Pakistan?|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=22 February 2016}} In June 2016, she appeared on Jirga with Saleem Safi, speaking out against Pakistan's aggressive stance in the Kashmir conflict. In an appearance at the Islamabad Literature Festival, she continued her support of a closer Indian-Pakistan relationship.{{Cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/islamabad-literature-festival-india-pakistan-relations-hina-rabbani-khar-2761168/|title=Bhangra, books and bonhomie|date=20 April 2016|access-date=31 August 2016}}

= Return to politics in 2018 =

She was elected on a reserved seat for women in the National Assembly in the 2018 General Election by the Pakistan People's Party.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1426560|title=List of MNAs elected on reserved seats for women, minorities|last=Reporter|first=The Newspaper's Staff|date=12 August 2018|work=DAWN.COM|access-date=29 August 2018|language=en-US}} On 19 April 2022 she was inducted in Shehbaz Ministry having the post of Minister of state for foreign affairs.

In a Pakistani memo leaked by the Pentagon, she argues that Pakistan can “no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States.” It warns that the instinct to preserve Pakistan's partnership with the United States would ultimately sacrifice the full benefits of the country's “real strategic” partnership with China.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan faces more 'difficult choices' after pivot-to-China leak |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Pakistan-faces-more-difficult-choices-after-pivot-to-China-leak |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}}

Personal life

Khar is married to Feroze Gulzar. She has a son, Ahmed, and two daughters, Annaya and Dina.{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1472122|title=NAB seeks assets detail of Gorchani, family|website=Dawn|date=27 March 2019}}

Khar is co-owner of a restaurant called the "Polo Lounge". The initial branch opened at the Lahore Polo Ground in 2002. A second Polo Lounge has since opened in Islamabad's Saidpur Village.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hina-Rabbani-Khars-baby-Tony-eatery-with-an-eclectic-menu/articleshow/18603181.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224082438/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-21/pakistan/37220827_1_feroze-gulzar-hina-rabbani-khar-polo-lounge|url-status=live|archive-date=24 February 2013|title=Hina Rabbani Khar's 'baby': Tony eatery with an eclectic menu|last=Khan|first=Omer Farooq|date=21 February 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|access-date=15 March 2013}}

Khar has been subjected to criticism with regards to dynastic politics in Pakistan. Coming from a feudal but mostly illiterate family of politicians, she won her first seat in the national assembly from the same constituency her father represented before he was disqualified due to not having a university degree, and the same happened to many other members of the family, who were seasoned politicians. Her father's brother also served as the Governor and CM of Punjab for the same political party.{{Cite web |title=Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar {{!}} Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Government of the Punjab |url=https://cm.punjab.gov.pk/node/97 |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=cm.punjab.gov.pk}} This case was further brought to light when Khar introduced her brother as the new candidate for her family's constituency.{{Cite web |last=Raza |first=Malik Tahseen |date=2018-07-17 |title=Hina Rabbani canvasses for brother in NA-183 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1420515 |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}

Khar, along 25 other members of her family were booked in a case of forgery in Muzaffargarh where her step-brother stated that the family has used political influence to illegally transfer his property to their name.{{Cite web |first=

Owais |last=Qarni |date=2018-04-24 |title=Khars in trouble: Hina Rabbani and family booked for forgery |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1693729/brother-registers-forgery-case-hina-rabbani-khar |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}

Notes

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180308/http://www.mofa.gov.pk/mfa/pages/article.aspx?id=43&type=4 Minister of Foreign Affairs]
[http://dawn.com/tag/hina-rabbani-khar/Collected{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} news and commentary]{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Dawn
{{Charlie Rose view|7613}}
[http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/2015/12/rules-pakistan-151201112941549.html Who rules Pakistan?]. Al Jazeera English, December 2015 - interview with Hina Rabbani Khar (video, 47 mins)

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs|years=2008–2011}}