Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday said using various diplomatic tools, Pakistan consolidated friendships and strengthened bilateral relations with major powers and key partners across all regions.

The foreign minister, addressing a ceremony at Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) of National University of Science and Technology, said under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership, Pakistan proactively and consistently advanced its diplomatic objectives both bilaterally and multilaterally.

“We have put to use various tools of diplomacy be it economic diplomacy, science diplomacy, public diplomacy or digital diplomacy, to lead the advocacy for durable peace, inclusive growth and shared development,” he remarked.

He said the term like “multidimensional diplomacy” was reflective of new trends and realities as there were multiple players, factors and forces, influencing the conduct of diplomacy.

He said the multidimensional diplomacy currently used tools ranging from economy, cyber space, digital technology, science and innovation to culture and even people-to-people linkages.

He said the world had entered an era of battles of narratives with a huge shift in the role of media, their impact on all sphere of life and modern technology being used to influence opinions and push agendas.

Moreover, as another external factor, the Covid-19 pandemic had upended the global economic systems.

“We see Covid-19 is not just a global health crisis but a catalyst for long-term geopolitical shifts. Covid vaccines too have aided diplomacy with countries competing for influence through their vaccines and related technology,” he added.

Qureshi said in the backdrop of those shifting trends, geopolitics was reorienting to accommodate new actors and emerging factors and considerations. Pakistan’s foreign policy must respond adequately.

He said Pakistan was a leading voice at multilateral forums with strong advocacy on issues of sustainable and equitable development, climate change, debt relief, corruption and illicit financial flows as well as Islamophobia.

He said 2021 had also been an exciting year of reform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where the strategic planning reform under Vision FO in 2020, became a reality in 2021.

He said the Foreign Ministry launched robust Economic Diplomacy agenda besides Public Diplomacy Initiatives and engaging in large scale digital reform and leveraging Science Diplomacy.

Referring to Afghanistan situation, he told the gathering that post-15 August 2021, Pakistan geared its diplomacy for garnering regional and international consensus for constructive and sustained engagement with the new interim authorities in Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and an economic meltdown.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s effort including the establishment of the six-country format of immediate neighbors, participation in Moscow format, the Troika Plus Meeting held in Islamabad and above all the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers hosted by Pakistan in December 2021.

He said economic diplomacy had assumed higher priority in the conduct of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

This effort to promote and expand our trade and investment portfolio led to concrete achievements including improvement by 39 points in Pakistan’s ranking in Ease of Doing Business, 7 percent increase in trade with Africa, and an increase of over USD two billion in the export of information technology and IT-based sectors.

Under the digital reform agenda, Qureshi said Pakistan had launched the Foreign Minister’s Portal that provided the diaspora direct access to all 114 Pakistan Missions abroad based in 87 countries with a view to efficient handling and addressing of their issues.