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political
glamour
Hotties in the House
In the past many years, the faces in the Lower House i.e. the National Assembly have not changed much - some have grown older, some younger [thanks to Botox], some have lost their hair, and others have miraculously had theirs reappear over time ala the Sharifs. But who are currently the hottest in the house? Instep takes a look.

 
Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Foreign Minister of Pakistan

He may be a feudal and a pir, but Shah Mehmood Qureshi knows how to look good - despite a head full of grey hair, which only adds to the distinguished air surrounding the Foreign Minister. Whether its a pagri, a starched shalwar-kameez, or a well-fitted suit, the Shah manages to look good in all. And in a sea of PPP leaders whose garbled attempts at speaking both Urdu and English make one wonder where they were during primary school classes, the Foreign Minister stands out. A PPP-loyalist for years, it is good to finally see a Foreign Minister who knows how to demand UN-led investigations and get them. However, his sex appeal has gone down a notch after he
reportedly mixed up his facts during a speech at the United Nations, but as long as he gives blistering speeches on Pakistan's foreign policy in our National Assembly, its all good.
 
Hina Rabbani Khar
Special Assistant to PM on Economic Affairs, PPP leader

Most people, when battling superiors at their jobs, look devastated and destroyed. Not Hina Rabbani Khar. She walked out of the PML-Q (after blasting the Chaudhry brothers for not awarding her a party nomination for a NA seat) with her immaculately blow dried hair intact and walked in to the PPP with her chiffon dupatta flowing behind her without a care in the world. We are quite ecstatic that she did so, because the PML-Q is entirely undeserving of and unappreciative of members of the female sex, with the recent suspension notice to Kashmala Tariq. One of THE hottest members of the ruling PPP, Hina clearly gets her charm and her looks from the Khar family - lest we forget the illustrious politician Mustafa Khar, who in his heyday set many a heart a-flutter,
and the gorgeous model Aminah Haq, who has maintained a permanent position in the world of Pakistani fashion. Wowing journalists with her immaculately spoken English and one of the youngest members of the party, Hina Rabbani Khar is clearly one of the hotties in the house.
 
Imran Khan
Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson

This list would not have been complete without Imran Khan, who has maintained his aura of sex appeal throughout his roles as a cricketer, humanitarian and then politician. He may have failed as a politician though, but he and his former wife Jemima Goldsmith, made the shalwar kameez sexy once again. Whether its the social set of Karachi, or the occupants of an obscure bed and breakfast in Dorset, England, Imran Khan remains the pin-up boy for the generations of the 80s and 90s. One does wish though that he manages to find a new accessory for the space on his arm, but perhaps that, as in the case of his previous marriage, might distract attention from the Khan of Zaman Park himself.
 
Shazia Marri
Sindh Information Minister, PPP member

Bursting on to the scene from nowhere, Shazia Marri scooped up the coveted Information Minister slot for Sindh, and has managed to overshadow the entire Sindh government cabinet with her eloquent Sindhi and youthful looks. Our only gripe is that she overdoes the makeup, but that seems to be a staple with many of the female members of the Sindh assembly. Despite having a teenage daughter and having gone through a bad marriage, Shazia Marri seems to have survived with her reputation intact. Kudos to Ms. Marri for being a survivor in the murky field of politics.
 
Akhtar Mengal
Balochistan National Party President

If all of us looked as good as Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal does after getting released from a prolonged stay in jail and then at a hospital, then bring on the handcuffs and IV fluids. Despite having undergone what many say is hell and back, Mengal looked every bit the Baloch sardar as television cameras viewed images of him live walking out of a Karachi hospital, waving to supporters and promising to take up the cause of the Baloch people. Perhaps something about Mengal's appeal has to do with the fact that he is portrayed as a rebel by the establishment, which no one can resist. We look forward to seeing more of this rebel in the starched shalwar kameez.
 
Sherry Rehman
Federal Minister for Information, PPP leader

Once a journalist, then a fearless editor, then Benazir's right-hand woman and now Information Minister, Sherry Rehman's rise to power is perhaps more sizzling than the woman herself. Sherry knows how to play the media well, after all, if she doesn't, who would? Charming men and women with her smile and platitudes, Sherry Rehman has maintained her aura of charisma and power, without appearing to be a PPP-mouthpiece, as many of her predecessors were known to be. With her dupattas firmly coiled around her neck [and thankfully not on her head], a dash of imaginative fashion here and there [case in point, a long coat worn during the first Zardari-Nawaz press conference] and a way with words, Sherry Rehman is the ultimate charmer in the world of Pakistani politics.
 
Honorable Mention:
The Bhutto Clan

Many a Pakistani man [including many of my friends] were overjoyed one morning when they opened their newspapers to behold the Bhutto cousins, namely Sassi and Fatima Bhutto's picture, displayed prominently. The Bhutto girls are young, beautiful and determined to bear the burden that comes with having a surname like Bhutto. Accompanying them is Zulfiqar Jr., son of Ghinwa and Murtaza Bhutto, whose image in a black shalwar kameez at Benazir Bhutto's funeral was later used as a pinup by many Pakistani teenage girls. Not to be left behind is the other Bhutto clan, namely Zardari and Benazir's
 
 
children, Bilawal, Asifa and Bakhtawar. Since the late Benazir Bhutto's death, the spotlight is now shining brightly on the next Bhutto generation. Facebook groups debating whether Bilawal is hotter than Zulfiqar Bhutto Jr. are a norm, and Fatima and Bilawal are now household names more so than before. However, if they really want to connect with the population, they have to learn the national language, which they all barely speak. The question really is though; will the new Bhutto generation be able to change the teenage adoration into votes whenever they formally take a step into politics? Wait another 5 years [or even less, we suspect] to find out.