Pakistan’s Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar visited Canada on the invitation of Canada-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce (CPCoC). During the trip, Ms. Khar met with a number of government officials and stakeholders including Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird.
Ms. Khar was the first woman to be appointed Foreign Minister of Pakistan and is one of the highest ranking women in Pakistani politics. First elected in 2002, Ms. Khar also served as Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
The CPCoC organized a series of events, round table discussions, and keynote speeches in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Empire Club of Canada and Canada Pakistan Chamber of Commerce hosted a joint event ““Realizing South Asia Beyond Conflict- perspective from Pakistan”.
Ms. Khar said “Canada is well known and highly regarded in Pakistan as a friend and supporter of democratic development, human rights and economic progress in Pakistan and the region. Occasionally, people who have great experience in our region have very critical views of Pakistan, which we also appreciate, but often they have not taken the time to engage with us or come to see our reality. I wish to speak to Canadians about this reality and invite Canadian officials to engage with us in support of our efforts to build a vibrant democracy in the face of significant challenges. I also wish to thank the people of Canada for their great support, truly a friend we have counted on and continue to cherish.”

Ms. Khar has distinguished herself as a confident, articulate and engaged advocate of regional economic development. Through her excellent work as Foreign Affairs Minister, she garnered the trust and furthered responsible dialogue with the international community and in particular India, on sensitive, challenging and vitally important issues for the region, Canada and the world.