Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday said Pakistan wanted a relationship with the United States which was in sync with the country’s ‘changed priorities’.

Speaking at the Margalla Dialogue Forum in Islamabad, he said the new approach was in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of shifting from geo-politics to geo-economics. Maintaining that Islamabad valued its longstanding relationship with Washington, Qureshi said the country “wanted multifaceted ties that were not susceptible to the vagaries of regional and international policies”.

“Recent strategic rivalry between the world powers has added to the nuances of global peace,” Qureshi said. “The mindset of geopolitics must be restructured and the importance of geo-economics must be acknowledged. The future of a successful foreign policy depends on not repeating the strategic mistakes of the early 1990s.”

The country’s top diplomat added that enhanced trade and investment ties with the US and cooperation with regard to regional connectivity can work to Pakistan’s mutual benefit.

Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Qureshi warned that a dire humanitarian crisis was looming in the war-torn country and it had consequences for the region and beyond. “Pakistan is hosting an extraordinary session of the OIC on Sunday to mobilise support for providing adequate food, medicine and housing to millions of Afghans in dire distress,” he said. “Pakistan continues to work at every level for a stable, peaceful and prosperous regional future.” He added that Pakistan had been working closely with the international partners for humanitarian outreach and bringing together neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and international stakeholders for a coordinated approach.

The foreign minister also mentioned the role played by Pakistan in facilitating Afghan peace talks and evacuation of foreign nationals from Afghanistan. “Pakistan has advocated and worked for establishment of an inclusive polity in Afghanistan, respecting the rights of all ethnic and religious minorities as well as of women,” he said. “Afghan government has assured all its neighbours that their soil will not be allowed to be used for terrorism. The same message has been given by Kabul to extra-regional powers.”

Referring to the Indian atrocities in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), the foreign minister said it was the duty of the United Nations and the international community to hold India accountable for the unconscionable state of affairs. “India must realize that without resolving the Kashmir dispute, we cannot free the peoples of South Asia from perennial instability,” he stressed. The foreign minister also emphasised technology and scientific changes, which were already impacting war and peace, climate change, economies and geo-politics.

“Big tech, by amassing and monopolising data is outgrowing capitalism as we know it. By redesigning supply chains, virtual reality and the way we think and live,” the FM said. He added it was data control that influenced mindsets and shaped narratives and ultimately crafted the ‘perception game’.

“Staying connected, staying ahead and staying alert in the digital space is of paramount importance in achieving foreign policy goals,” he said. “There is no doubt that Covid-19 has accelerated the digital diplomacy trajectory. Diplomacy now does not rely upon the leadership to leadership telephone calls or state visits.”

Technology, he said, had never played such a definitive role in relationships. “Perception wars are won and lost on Twitter, so what better place to use fewer resources and achieve great outcomes in a short amount of time. I am happy to share that FO has clearly prioritised digital alliances. Entering for instance, as the founding member of KSA-led digital cooperation organisation in record time,” the foreign minister said. Qureshi urged the international community to effectively address the challenges of corruption to ensure a better future for people across the globe. In his video message screened at the ninth Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, the foreign minister said corruption hampered efforts to eradicate poverty.