Pak military's intentions towards India "overrated": Hina Khar

Islamabad, August 18(ANI): Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said the army does not run the country's foreign policy, and that the military's intentions towards India have been overrated.

Khar, 33, has been accused of having been handpicked by Pakistan's powerful Army, which runs the country's defense and foreign policies, as a sort of Manchurian foreign minister.

"The Army does not run our foreign policy," she said, firmly during an interview with Newsweek 's Pakistan edition.

"They are important stakeholders and not an outside force, so we should stop viewing them as such. After all the institutions are taken onboard, a view emerges, and that is the government's view, which is Pakistan's view," she added.

When asked about the role of the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence's historical ties with militant groups, especially those fighting in Jammu and Kashmir, Khar replied: "We sometimes overrate the role of the military and overrate their intentions especially when it comes to India."

"Let's not be burdened by our history. Let's move forward. I think Pakistan has learnt its lessons," she added.

Referring to her recent visit to New Delhi for talks with her Indian counterpart S M Krishna, Khar said: "The dialogue process with India should be uninterrupted and uninterruptable, and the environment we found there was exceptionally healthy. That to me was the biggest confidence-building measure."

Khar was none too pleased with the off-topic reviews of her first big test as foreign minister- the first formal, minister-level bilateral engagement since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"Whatever goals and expectations we went with to India, we achieved," she stated.

However, what made headlines on both sides of the border were her accessories- the Cavalli shades, the Mikimoto pearls, the diamond bracelet-and that 10,000-dollar handmade Birkin bag.

"People were calling it the Ministry of Fashion Affairs. I am very comfortable with the fact that I am much more than that," said Khar. "You have to work twice as hard being a woman in our society." (ANI)