New Delhi: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will take oath as the country’s Foreign Minister in a day or two, confirmed a senior party leader.
PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, who is adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, in a conversation with journalists in London, confirmed that Bilawal will take oath as the foreign minister in a day or two, PTI reported.
Bilawal did not take the oath earlier on Tuesday, giving rise to speculation about his reluctance to join the new government.
This ends speculation that all allies of the government are not on the same page.
The 33-year-old scion of the Bhutto-Zardari family headed to London on Wednesday where he met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif during which they discussed the “overall political situation” in the country.
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.
Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb had earlier assured that Bilawal would take the oath after he returns to the country.
Kaira said that Bilawal had left for Pakistan after he held two meetings with the PML-N supremo to exchange views on political matters, as per the Geo report, the news agency said.
The PPP is the second-largest party in the current coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
As per the joint statement, Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal in their meeting discussed ways forward after a “constitutional victory for democracy, the rule of law and supremacy of parliament” and agreed to work closely to “repair the rot across the board”.
Both leaders during the meeting agreed that they have accomplished a great deal whenever they work together, the joint statement added.
They also discussed matters relating to the broad roadmap for the future with the consensus of all democratic forces and the unfinished business left on the “Charter of Democracy”.
The joint statement read it was also agreed that high-level summitry is needed to brainstorm the path ahead for a new charter.
“There was a strong realisation that the people of Pakistan have suffered greatly at the disastrous economic mismanagement and unprecedented incompetence of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government, all of which needs to be addressed and repaired,” the joint statement said.
“The joint goals will focus on reversing in phases the drastic economic slide that Imran Khan has taken the country down on, the terrible blunders and self-serving trade-offs on foreign policy, as well as healing the deep scars from assaults made on the country's democratic system,” the statement added.
Sources privy to the meeting, as per the Geo report, confirmed that Bilawal and Nawaz Sharif did not discuss anything related to the posts of Senate, Punjab governor or presidency during their meetings.
This comes as there was speculation that the PPP wanted more stake in the government.