India-baiting Paki-stan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was not part of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s smaller 22-member Cabinet which was sworn in here on Friday evening. It is, however, possible that he could rejoin the government when a second lot of ministers take the oath. India will therefore have to wait a few days longer to see who will head the Pakistani delegation at the foreign minister-level talks due in New Delhi in July.
For now the Pakistan foreign ministry will be looked after by 34-year-old Hina Rabbani Khar, minister of state for finance in the outgoing team, who has international experience as she has participated in negotiations with the IMF and the World Bank. She was the only minister of state sworn in on Friday.
PTI reported from Islamabad, quoting ruling PPP sources, that a sulking Mr Qureshi had refused to take the oath as he was offered the water resources portfolio instead of foreign affairs. Besides Mr Qureshi, other prominent ministers dropped include Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Parvez Ashraf and Nazar Moha-mmad Gondal. Portfolios were not announced on Friday, but it was learnt that most would retain their ministries.