Pakistan appoints first woman foreign minister

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan yesterday appointed its first woman and youngest foreign minister within weeks of important talks with India.

Hina Rabbani Khar

Hina Rabbani Khar, 34, is expected to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Indonesia later this week in her new role, the ministry said.

She will travel to India to meet Indian counterpart SM Krishna for talks under a formal peace dialogue resumed by the two nuclear-armed rivals earlier this year.

Clinton, currently on a visit to India, yesterday said she welcomed the resumption of peace talks between Islamabad and New Delhi that were frozen after the 2008 attacks on Mumbai blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Khar has been a junior foreign minister for nine months.