Sherry declines Pak Cabinet re-induction offer as Foreign Minister

ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman has reportedly declined to accept the Government’s latest offer of re-induction into the Cabinet as Foreign Minister.

According to reports, close aides of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had advised him to replace incumbent Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi with Sherry in order to restore the image of the Ministry, which is currently appearing as pro-American.

Sherry had earlier served as Minister of Health, and Information and Broadcasting, and since her resignation, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been trying in vain to get the lady back into the cabinet, The News reports.

It is believed that Sherry’s refusal to accept the Foreign Minister position has brought relief to Qureshi to some extent, but he is still in hot water as many are fluxing their muscles for the slot.

Sherry was preferred for the strong profile that she held during her tenure in parliament. She had authored all five PPP bills tabled in the National Assembly: Women Empowerment Bill, Anti-Honor Killings Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, Affirmative Action Bill and Hudood Repeal Bill.

She also moved two Bills for the Media: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Press Act, which prevents working journalists from being arrested under the 1999 Press Ordinance.

In January 2009, a report of the International Republican Institute had also referred to her as “Democracy’s Hero” as a result of her close association with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s campaign for democratic rule in Pakistan. (ANI)