Bilawal Bhutto likely to be appointed as next foreign minister of Pakistan

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Bilawal Bhutto is likely to be appointed as the next foreign minister of Pakistan in the new government after Imran Khan’s prime ministerial term came to an ignominious end following his ouster through a no-confidence motion, according to a media report. While the positions of prime minister and president hold importance, the question of who will be the foreign minister under the new government is also important as the joint Opposition has been constantly targeting the government of Khan for their wrong foreign policies, Geo News reported. "According to rumours, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is likely to be appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” it said.

The 33-year-old Oxford-educated politician, however, said in an interview with The Independent Urdu that the party would decide on his appointment as the new foreign minister. Bilawal Bhutto is the son of former premier Benazir Bhutto and ex-Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari. He is the maternal grandson of former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Criticising Khan's leadership, Bhutto said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had made the foreign ministry and the National Security Committee (NSC) controversial.

During the debate in the National Assembly on Saturday, Bilawal had trained his guns on Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Khan's foreign minister, and questioned why he was not present for the National Security Committee meeting which discussed the so-called "foriegn conspiracy" to oust the PTI government. Bilawal said that if there was a conspiracy against the government, Khan should have taken action immediately. He maintained that the current battle was not between the PTI, the PPP or the PDM, rather between those who upheld the Constitution and those who disregarded it. The PPP chairman added that Khan was "scared of fair and free elections".

He said the Opposition wanted to oust the government in a "democratic way". "This is the only legal and democratic means to dismiss the government," he said, adding that the National Assembly belonged to the people of Pakistan. He added that Khan had divided the house, the judiciary, the establishment and the entire country. "The prime minister should show sportsmanship. He is the first captain who is running away from the pitch after taking away the wicket." 

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