ISLAMABAD: Prime’s Minister Special Assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr Moeed Yusuf on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was focusing on promoting economic diplomacy.
He was speaking at a seminar on “Searching for Economic Security and Growth” organized by the Institute for Policy Reforms in Islamabad,
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.
