PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari takes oath as Federal Minister
ISLAMABAD, April 27 (SABAH): Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took oath as Federal Minister in Islamabad on Wednesday.
President Dr. Arif Alvi administered the oath during a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also attended the ceremony. President Alvi and PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on taking oath as federal minister.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari, ex-prime ministers Makhdoom Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Federal Ministers Rana Sanullah Khan, Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Abdul Qadir Patel, Nawabzada Shahzain Khan Bugti, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Maulana Asad Mahmood and Shazia Ata Marri, meanwhile state minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju, PPP leaders Senator Saleem Mandviwala, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Faisal Kareem Kundi, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, the close family members of Bilawal Bhutto including his sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and maternal aunt Sanam Bhutto – the sister of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, also attended the ceremony.
National anthem was also played at the start of the ceremony; meanwhile the verses of the Holy Quran were also recited at the start of the ceremony.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will likely be given the portfolio of the foreign ministry. According to a statement issued by PPP on social media, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has got distinction of becoming the youngest Foreign Minister of the country at the age of 33 years, seven months and 6 days. The statement said that prior to this Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had taken oath as foreign minister of the country at the age of 35 years five months and 10 days; meanwhile Hina Rabbani Khar had taken oath as foreign minister of the country at the age of 33 years eight months and one day.
The statement said that Bilawal Bhutto has become the 37th foreign minister of the country; meanwhile his maternal grandfather Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the 12th foreign minister of Pakistan.
Taking to her Twitter handle, Aseefa Bhutto wrote: “Congratulations to the youngest Foreign Minister in Pakistan’s history @BBhuttoZardari.”
“The task is daunting, and the previous government have hurt our international standing but I have no doubt that you will make our country, party, and family proud,” she added.
While there was no immediate official confirmation about Bilawal’s portfolio, his sister Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari had congratulated him earlier in the day for taking oath as the country’s foreign minister.
“Today Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will take oath as Pakistan’s foreign minister in this unity government — decided by [the] PPP CEC (central executive committee) and we couldn’t be more proud of him! Already outshone in parliament and always stuck to his democratic values — excited to witness this path if God wills,” she had tweeted.
Thirty-three-year-old Bilawal was first elected to the National Assembly in 2018. This is the first time he will be serving as a member of the federal cabinet.