Daily Times

Speaking at a seminar on “Searching for Economic Security and Growth” organized by the Institute for Policy Reforms in Islamabad, Prime’s Minister Special Assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr. Moeed Yusuf revealed the government’s plan to develop a coordinated strategy for Economic Diplomacy.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had already declared a focus on Economic Diplomacy as a priority of his government.

Dr. Yusuf said that there was is complete consensus that our future progress lies in a strong economy and our ability to mold our diplomacy to market our economic potential, he said.

Elaborating the vision, he said that Pakistan is already conducting economic diplomacy every day in terms of promoting our trade and other economic engagements with the world. The need however is to broaden the horizon in line with the global developments and the new opportunities changes around the world have opened up for countries like Pakistan. The goal is to gain maximum advantage from areas like tourism, information technology, role of diaspora and overseas Pakistanis, culture, among other areas that have traditionally not been considered in the remit of economic diplomacy, he said.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC) in the National Security Division to develop a coherent plan and inter-ministerial coordination mechanism to ensure greater economic gains.

This will be the first time in the country’s history that we will have a dedicated economic diplomacy strategy with a shared vision, framework, and goals, he said. Implementation of this vision will also promote Pakistan’s true soft image according to Dr. Yusuf.

While conceding that the benefits of this exercise will not be felt overnight, he called this initiative a paradigm shift for the country. Dr. Yusuf said that the human, economic, and military aspects of security are linked and one cannot be strong without the other.

In September 2019, the Prime Minister set up the SPPC to operate as an intellectual hub for evidence-based policy inputs on issues relevant to various aspects of traditional, economic/financial, and human security.

The SPPC’s addition was seen as a positive development as there was no empowered civilian structure directly linked to the country’s leadership that was specifically tasked to act as a think tank and provide independent research-based policy input on issues like economic diplomacy.

Economic Diplomacy is a key aspect of national power that has traditionally not received as much importance but can prove to be a key ingredient for sustained economic growth and progress.