Hina Rabbani Khar - For all practical purposes, till more than a month back, she was a nondescript Pakistani lady and a Minister of State in the Government of Pakistan.
Since her appointment as The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, and her subsequent visit to India on an official mission, she has taken India and the entire Indian sub-continent by storm.
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| Hina Rabbani Khar In Pakistan's National Assembly |
India Pakistan relations have been difficult for the last sixty years or so. Right from the time of Independence from the Britishers, there have been numerous flare ups. And as an up side , there have been several attempts to bring back things to normal.
The 80's and 90's belonged to Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. They alternated between power for these two decades. After a peaceful Army coup in 1999, the then Pakistani General Pervez Musharraf assumed the presidency.
Now we have a lady who has been entrusted with the task of bringing more confidence between the nations. She is Hina Rabbani Khar.
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| Hina Rabbani Khar |
All of thirty four years, a few weeks back, the lady embarked upon the most important mission of her life. As a foreign minister, she came to India.
So who exactly is Hina Khar?
Well, her vital stats first. She is a lady of 34 years. Born in 1977 to an influential and political family in Pakistan's Punjab province, she is a business woman by profession.
Hina is married and is blessed with two daughters and a son. She is passionate about polo and trekking. And being a businesswoman, she is the owner of a popular lounge in Lahore.
She has been in the dirty world of Politics since 2002. She has been elected twice to Pakistan's National Assembly twice.
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| Hina Rabbani Khar With Her Baby Child |
In Feb 2011, she was appointed as a Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the Pakistani Government. And on 20 Jul 2011, she was elevated to the post of The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, after the resignation of her predecessor.
Immediately after her appointment to this important post, she embarked on a visit to India. Most people wondered, how would a lady with minimal experience in the fluid world of international politics be able to essay this role?
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| Hina Rabbani Khar In Delhi |
Well, all these questions were forgotten as soon as she landed in India.
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| Hina Khar Arriving In India |
Her calmness stands out in this picture. And her eyes reflect strong determination. I think she would have been saying a small prayer as she stepped out of the Air Force plane.
Once she was out on the tarmac, India's media went frenzy with her fashion style. Her elegant blue dress, her expensive hand bag and her couture were the center of attraction. Politics had taken a back seat. Her smile had floored everyone.
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| Smiling Hina |
And as she waved to the Indian media, they simply went ga-ga. Only if she was an Indian and with the Indian National Congress, she would have been the brand ambassador for their election symbol - "The Palm".
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| Hina Khar Waving |
Not disturbed by the attention she received, she went about doing the tasks on her hand. Even before meeting anyone from the Government of India, she met the separatist pro-Pakistani leaders from Jammu and Kashmir.
This meeting of hers evoked strong adverse reactions from the Indian media. She had however completed her task.
Later she had an meeting with India's Foreign Minister, SM Krishna. Krishna is 79 years old, 45 years senior to Hina. Needless to say, his political experience is more than Hina's age. Yet, she was not awed by such stats. It can be reflected in her firm handshake.
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| Hina Rabbani Khar and SM Krishna - Her Firm Handshake |
Her poise is indomitable. Being a business woman, she has brought in a level of professionalism in her official missions.
Later she gained an audience with the BJP leader, LK Advani. Advani, who is famous for his anti-Pak rhetoric, too was impressed by Hina. He presented her with a bouquet of red roses.
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| Hina Khar and LK Advani - Red Roses |
I wonder what Advani said to Hina, which evoked a shy smile from her.
Most importantly, she also met the Indian Prime Minister - Manmohan Singh. She listened to him with rapt attention as Manmohan shared his two cents on the future of India Pakistan relations.
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| Hina Khar And Manmohan Singh |
In a matter of two days, she met who's who of Indian politics. Whatever little interactions she would have had with them will hold in good stead for Hina over the coming years.
Managing the Foreign Ministry would mean dealing with bully-friend USA, rival India, "friend or a foe" Afghanistan and it's Taliban, good friend China and other such big wig countries.
On a lighter note, her attractive looks and elegant personality have been a source of many jokes in India.
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| The Hina Effect |
If she ever decides to act in Indian movies, the Bollywood starlets would be left high and dry. Her charm offensive has worked wonders.
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| To Hina With Love |
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| Hina Khar |
Pakistan is at a turning point with the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden. And Hina will be Pakistan's face across the world, as she jets sets across the capitals selling Pakistan.
