Zeeshan Adhi Last month saw the appointment of Ms Hina Khar as the first woman Foreign Minister of Pakistan. At the age of 34, she is the youngest individual to be appointed at this post. At a time when Pakistan is isolated in the international community, and when the Pakistan-American relations are at their lowest ebb, it is strange that Ms Khar, at a very young age and with rather modest experience in international relations, is appointed to represent Pakistan on the global platform. This is not to doubt her qualifications and capabilities. The point is much broader than just attacking a single person. It is about indulging into some introspection and examining our conduct as a nation. It is also about the extensive impact such decisions, which are taken without due diligence, will have for Pakistan. The appointment of a 34-year-old Foreign Minister suggests that Pakistan has no experienced person to lead its Foreign Ministry. This is simply untrue; there are a number of capable individuals in Pakistan, who are highly qualified and experienced in international relations. It appears that a major reason behind this appointment was that it was very convenient. That is, since Ms Khar was already functioning as a de facto Federal Minister, there would be significantly less hue and cry about such an appointment. This is classic of a nation, and a political government, that is afraid to take difficult decisions. Difficult decisions require a strong gut, a fearless attitude, an ability to call a spade a spade, and a burning desire to do the right thing. Needless to say that our nation, and particularly our leaders, are devoid of such attributes. A few months back, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took up the matter of contractual reappointment of government servants after they had attained the age of superannuation. The stance of the federal government was, simply put, that many a time there are individuals who are so competent that they have to be reemployed on a contractual basis, since there is no one else who can replace them. It, therefore, defeats all reason that a government which is forced to reemploy individuals after retirement since there are not many young Pakistanis who can perform the job, has been unable to find a single individual who is experienced in foreign relations to lead the country. One is certainly not against the appointment of young persons to key positions. If anything, I am highly supportive of such appointments, and this tradition, if bona fide, is much refreshing. However, this is definitely not a policy-change, nor is it a change of attitudes that we are experiencing in Pakistan. In fact, it is merely politics of convenience, and lack of leadership, that results in such unthoughful decisions. Even otherwise, while exposing young leaders to important posts is critical, it is imperative that they first spend considerable time at a junior post. And such an appointment must be fully justified. The least the government could have done was to inform us, its citizens, as to what is so impressive and unique about this individual and her qualifications, that she has been selected to lead the country. Unfortunately, not a single statement was issued by the government justifying her appointment. The departure of Shah Mehmood Qureshi should not in any way have resulted in a total vacuum. It could have been turned into an opportunity to bring another experienced person as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, while perhaps retaining Ms Khar or another young individual as a Minister of State. It is, indeed, unfortunate that our leaders in Pakistan tend to take such important decisions callously. Can we then really blame anyone else for our state of affairs? The fault, dear Brutus, indeed, is in ourselves n The writer is a practicing barrister and teaches law. The views expressed in this article are solely his own, and do not in any manner represent those of institutions he is associated with.