By Kamran Rehmat/Islamabad
Given their geography - and obtaining sibling rivalry - one has come to expect that sentiment will find a place even in as “cordoned off” an area as Indo-Pak diplomacy, where few quarters are given, if ever, without a quid pro quo.With all the excess baggage, it is always a treacherous terrain. Experience therefore, is considered an invaluable guide. When Hina Rabbani Khar was appointed foreign minister last month at the age of 34 - becoming Pakistan’s and currently, the world’s youngest in the process - eyebrows were raised. Male chauvinists of course, had lesser time to acknowledge that the milestone surrounding her gender - she is the first woman to hold the portfolio in Pakistan’s 64-year history - was even worth shouting about. Snide remarks about the “inexperience” of the upend Lahore University of Management Sciences graduate - she also has a degree in Hotel Management from the University of Massachusetts - continue to make the rounds.Strictly speaking, these are more likely calls coming from the sour grape branch. Hina was first directly elected an MP in 2002 and has served as former prime minister Shaukat Aziz’s deputy finance minister. She carries a favourable impression in dealing with tough nut world donor agencies and Islamabad’s trade partners. She also became the only Pakistani woman ever to present a federal budget two years ago - an unnerving spectre at the best of times in a male-dominated, often raucous, parliament. While criticism surrounding her “defection” in politics may have its takers - she left former military ruler Pervez Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid for the current ruling Pakistan People’s Party in 2008 - the fact is, she was denied a party ticket by the former, and therefore, felt entitled to make a career decision many in their respective spheres would also probably, have taken recourse to.For a young aspirant, one dare say, it certainly made political sense even if it was less than ideal. What is undeniable, in pure political speak, is the upward mobility Hina found courtesy the fruits of clan politics her father bequeathed her. Right from the time she was elevated to the top Foreign Office job after a few months as junior minister, Hina has found detractors. This is fathomable: after all, her elevation meant the automatic elimination of wily silver-haired men who coveted the post. Even before she landed a foot in the Indonesian beach resort of Bali, four days after her appointment for her debut assignment — the Asean Regional Forum of Foreign Ministers, which included a meeting with formidable U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines - she was written off as little more than a dandy outfitter with a mountain to climb.Such unflattering references reached a crescendo once she headed for the dreaded old Delhi encounter: a meeting with a counterpart 46 years her senior. The likes of Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, a former foreign minister from the PPP, criticised the decision and dismissed any hopes Islamabad had of making its case as a nonstarter thanks to Hina’s “inexperience”. The doomsayers are now reluctant to repeat the predictions, which can’t be a bad thing - both in the context of the foreign minister’s future and Indo-Pak relations.From Pakistan’s standpoint, the security establishment-induced script was a given - what mattered was if Hina would be able to carry it and meet the least common denominator: generating the required momentum to continue the composite dialogue into the future. It is fair to suggest the young foreign minister was able to achieve that and more. The “more”, admittedly, is owed to the aura she exuded with virtually, effortless ease. That Hina is strikingly beautiful and there is about her a charm and grace that lends itself to a positive vibe is undeniable. This is a factor not to be taken lightly, especially when it comes to contentious issues and sometimes, difficult personalities involved in an Indo-Pak engagement.Small wonder, Hina was welcomed with warmth across the Indian political divide - a scenario diametrically removed from the reception her much “experienced” predecessor, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, ever got. Any friend of peace between the two giant South Asian neighbours could not have asked for a better game-changer, if you will.It certainly helped that the Indian media went to town about the telegenic minister with journalists in Delhi virtually, falling over each other to best describe the newest sensation on the world’s diplomatic arena. Amid such pervading gaga, Rajiv Dogra, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, urged Delhi not to be taken in by the “beauty regime” but also read the brains behind Islamabad’s diplomatic coup. In an opinion piece, he warned: “Her age and her delicate frame are no handicap. She is backed by one of the most formidable realpolitik combination in the world today. She is the army’s chosen one; selected to do their precise bidding. And holding her hand in India is the caustic quip-a-minute foreign secretary Salman Bashir and the perpetually scowling Pakistani high commissioner Shahid Malik (sic).”But there was no escaping the youth factor, which Hina employed to make her case. “I bring you the message of a mindset change in Pakistan that wants friendship with India,” she said.News reports later revealed that her counterpart, S M Krishna, too, indulged the youth card at the delegation-level talks. “Half of India, which is your age, looks towards you not just for your good looks but also dynamism and the fresh approach that you have brought to the table,” a source quoted Krishna as telling his opposite number.The same source also added that Krishna tackled difficult issues like Kashmir in his prepared speech but graciously let Hina speak about issues closer to heart — such as what the youth in the two countries felt about ties binding their nations. However, it is a measure of the impact that Hina has had in terms of media coverage that she is already worried about losing the substance she believes she is made of to the style she has. The minister in fact, expressed “annoyance” over being labelled a “fashion icon” by the media on her return home!
***The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad and can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.comHip and happening: Hina Khar took India by storm last week during a trip that has enlivened the usually sedate bilateral ties.