Former foreign affairs secretary general Akram Zaki on Thursday said that prior to elections, the country should encourage and establish a common national agenda where the security doctrine and economic vision was primarily laid down for foreign policy so that coherent guidelines for future development could be carried out.
At a discussion organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) Zaki emphasised that foreign policy was the projection and protection of a nation’s sovereignty, security, vital political cultural and its citizens’ interests beyond borders. He highlighted challenges faced by Pakistan’s foreign policy such as the country’s relations with its immediate neighbours. To overcome these challenges, he stressed the need to focus on building and expanding economic relations. In this context Pakistan’s aspiring membership in the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) and the recent D-8 initiative had been a positive step towards diversifying its foreign policy.
He said Pakistan had developed friendly relations with China and Iran. However, added that Pakistan had uneasy ties on its eastern and western fronts. “Pakistan has always experienced difficulties with Afghanistan on its western front, which have now exacerbated due to the presence of US and NATO in Afghanistan.
On the eastern front we have had a long history of conflict and trust deficit with India, and Pakistan should focus on maintaining status quo through negotiations,” he said.
On Pakistan’s relations with Gulf States, Zaki said that both sides enjoyed good relations due to overseas Pakistanis and religious commonalities. He mentioned the danger of western policies that focused on war against radical political Islam and not terrorism, creating confusion among Muslims.
Centre for International Strategic Stability Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi pointed out that identity was the most important manifestation of foreign policy that does not remain static but keeps evolving as per changing international realities.
