Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Takes Oath As Pakistan’s Foreign Minister

Pakistan President Arif Alvi administered the oath to Bilawal at a simple ceremony at the Aiwan-i-Sadr (President's House), PTI reported.

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday took oath as the country’s Foreign Minister.

This ends speculation about Bilawal’s role in the new government led by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi administered the oath to Bilawal at a simple ceremony at the Aiwan-i-Sadr (President's House), PTI reported.

Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz were among those present on the occasion along with other officials and the PPP leaders.

It is for the first time when Bilawal has been given a key post in the Pakistan government and assigned the key portfolio of the Foreign Minister.

Bilawal, who was first elected to the National Assembly in earlier 2018, took oath as the Foreign Minister at a crucial juncture when the country needed a stable hand to steer the foreign policy through the choppy waters.

Among the main challenges, the 33-year-old needs to fix strained ties with the US in the wake of conspiracy allegations by Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan and find a way to restart the stalled peace process with neighbouring India.

Earlier in the day, Bilawal’s sister Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari congratulated him for taking oath as the country’s Foreign Minister.

“Today @BBhuttoZardari will take oath as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister in this unity government - decided by #PPP CEC & we couldn’t be more proud of him! Already outshone in Parliament & always stuck to his democratic values - excited to witness this path,” she tweeted.

The scion of the Bhutto-Zardari family had earlier last week met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif in London during which they discussed the "overall political situation" in Pakistan and vowed to work together on issues pertaining to politics and national interest.

The duo vowed to work together on issues pertaining to politics and national interest.

PPP and PML-N -- the two main political parties -- have been alternatively in power when the military was not ruling the country.