She is Pakistan's first Foreign Minister and had been working as acting Foreign Minister after then Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was not given the portfolio in the cabinet reshuffle in February.

"Ms. Khar has the distinction of being the youngest and first woman Foreign Minister of Pakistan," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Hina Rabbani Khar was born on January 19, 1977 in the city of Multan in eastern Punjab province in a famous political family, according to her profile on the website of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

The Foreign Ministry said that Khar is proceeding to Indonesia later this week to lead the Pakistan delegation to the 18^th ASEAN Regional Forum where she is expected to have bilateral meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

On return she will go to India for ministerial-level talks as part of the resumed dialogue process with her Indian counterpart S. M. Krishna, it said.

Khar remained Pakistan's State Minister for Economic Affairs from 2003 to 2007 under the government of former President Pervez Musharraf.