Bilawal takes oath as foreign minister

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto took oath on Wednesday as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Aaj News reported, in a ceremony led by President Dr Arif Alvi at the President House.

On Tuesday, Bilawal had confirmed that he will take oath as a federal minister in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet on Wednesday (today).

“I will take an oath [as a federal minister] and become part of the coalition government myself,” Bilawal had said while addressing a press conference in Karachi after a meeting of the PPP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Tuesday.

At the time, he had not confirmed which portfolio he was going to get but hinted that he would be taking charge of the foreign ministry.

In a statement on Tuesday, Bilawal said that all partners of the new government will have to cooperate to find solutions to the problems being faced by the country. He said that there should be reforms first, then general elections.

Talking about his recent meeting with PML-N founder Nawaz Sharif in London, he said said the re-engagement between PPP and PML-N was "in the interests of the country, nation and democracy."

Bilawal to take oath as federal minister in PM Shehbaz's cabinet

Earlier, several PPP leaders in TV interviews had stated that Bilawal could become the foreign minister. But when PM Shehbaz’s 34-member cabinet took oath last week — which included PPP’s Hina Rabbani Khar as state minister for foreign affairs — Bilawal was not one of them.