Ishaq Dar, a former finance minister who has served four times, has been appointed as Pakistan’s foreign minister.
This comes as the new government settles in and faces various challenges on the domestic and external fronts, including its relations with India and other neighboring countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has completed the formation of his Cabinet by inducting 19 members, bringing an end to the long wait.
Dar, an ethnic Kashmiri and a chartered accountant by profession, is a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and a trusted confidant of party head and former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif.
Despite having limited experience in managing foreign affairs, he has been given the crucial portfolio at a time when Pakistan’s relations with India and Afghanistan are at their lowest point.
The trade ties between Pakistan and India were severed in August 2019 when India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories.
This decision led to a halt in trade between the two countries, causing Pakistan to suffer as it used to import several items and raw materials at lower rates from India.
