Hina Rabbani Khar

Born into one of Pakistan's most prominent and influential political families, Hina Rabbani Khar carved a niche of her own when she became the youngest and the first woman Foreign Minister of her country on 20 July, 2011.The 34-year-old hospitality graduate faced her first big test just six days into office, when she travelled to India for bilateral peace talks between the neighbouring nations.[caption id="attachment_50030" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's youngest and first woman Foreign Minister. AP"][/caption]Even before the stunning Ms Khar set foot on Indian soil, local media and social networking sites went abuzz over "how Pakistan had put it's best face forward".And once the mother of three landed at the New Delhi airport, her Roberto Cavalli shades (which covered half her face) and oversized Hermes black Birkin bag, not to mention the exclusive South Sea pearls around her neck and ears, won the approval of the fashionistas on this side of the border. While her 17-lakh Birkin bag was one of the top trending items on Twitter, Khar's looks and attire fetched more newsprint than the peace talks itself.Speaking of the real purpose she was here, Khar failed to create a stir. While she chided the Indian media for their “dated” rhetoric in the discussion on terrorism, which has soured relations between the two countries, she herself said nothing we hadn't heard before. Worse still, she referred to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as "the Mumbai incident".Ms Khar, we'd like to remind you that over 160 lives were lost and several hundred were injured in the attacks. You might call it just "an incident" in Pakistan — in your words, the one country in the world that faces the challenge of terrorism “on a daily basis, on an hourly basis," but don't make that mistake here.As if to make up for her irresponsible statements, Khar paid obeisance at the dargah of the famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya at New Delhi and prayed for peace between the two countries.As Khar flies out of India, she might have won many admirers in the fashion circuit, but as a Foreign Minister she left much desired.Background and Political CareerKhar was born on 19 January 1977 in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. She is the daughter of politician Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar and niece of Ghulam Mustafa Khar. She graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) from Lahore University of Management Sciences in 1999 and received her M.Sc in Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts in 2001.Married to a businessman named Imran Khan, the couple has two sons and one daughter. A polo enthusiast, Khar is the co-owner of the Polo Lounge, a popular upscale restaurant located on the Lahore Polo Grounds.She served as the State Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics in the cabinet of Yousaf Raza Gillani. On 13 June, 2009 she became the first woman to present a budget speech in the National Assembly.She was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 11 February 2011, as part of Prime Minister Gillani's cabinet reshuffle. After Shah Mehmood Qureshi's resignation as foreign minister, Khar was officially appointed foreign minister on 19 July by President Asif Ali Zardari and was sworn in on 20 July.