New Delhi:
Pakistan's newly formed cabinet under the leadership of newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi took oath on August 4. 27 federal ministers and 16 state ministers have been included in the cabinet. Most of the names included in the cabinet are the old ones but a name that drew the attention of several across the country was of Khawaja Muhammad Asif. He got the foreign ministry under his name. This is the first time that someone is holding the post of foreign minister of Pakistan since 2013. Now, who is Khawaja Asif? Here are some lesser known facts about him:
1. Asif, the leader of Pakistan Muslim League was born on August 9, 1949 in Sialkot, Punjab. He got his early education at Cadet College Hasan Abdal. He received bachelor's degree from Lahore's government college. Thereafter, he did L.L.B. degree from the University Law College in Lahore.
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2. By profession, Asif is a banker. He lived in the United Arab Emirates for many years where he worked in different banks.
3. He returned to Pakistan in 1991 after his father's death. The same year he started his political innings and got elected as member of the Senate of Pakistan on seat of PML-N. But the term was only for three years.
4. During the 1993 general election in Pakistan, he represented constituency NA-110 (Sialkot). He was re-elected in 1997 election and later became the chairman of Privatization Commission of Pakistan.
5. In 2008 elections, he got the portfolio of the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources. He was also given an additional charge of Minister of Sports but for a short period.
6. In 2013, he was appointed as the Minister for Defence and Minister for Water and Power of Pakistan. Currently, he is holding the post of the foreign minister, which was vacant since 2013.
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