Digital portal and Pakistan diplomatic challenges

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has recently launched the ‘Share Pakistan Portal’, a digital repository for improved communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its over 100 diplomatic missions abroad. As said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board (NITB) has established a standardized online information system that would collect and communicate the impact of public diplomacy initiatives in pursuance of Pakistani foreign policy objectives. The portal has been designed to simplify communication and sharing of information both horizontally and vertically in the public diplomacy domain between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic posts abroad. According to the Foreign Minister, the paperless digital tool will integrate digital technologies into public diplomacy strategic outreach efforts and institutions along with bringing efficiency and transparency to various public diplomacy domains.

Pakistan, a poor nation of over 230 million people maintains over 100 diplomatic missions abroad including embassies, and consulate generals in distant locations in various countries in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and other continents across the globe. About one-fourth of the MoFA employees of all cadres along with representatives and staff from multiple ministries including the Information Ministry, Trade, Education, Passport/NADRA, attaches from tri-services Army, Navy, and Air Force along with the Reps of Security and Intelligence agencies represent their respective departments in multiple destinations around the world while their core function had been the sub-service of their departmental high-ups, protocol duty, and wellbeing of oneself and family.

Annually, billions of rupees are burnt on account of office and residential rents, payment and allowances, personnel and vehicle insurance, and ceremonial events that a few repeated visitors of diaspora members, media workers, or worthless individuals from the host nations mostly attend. Realistically, posting/deputation in Pakistan missions abroad is a means for the economic welfare of blue-eyed subordinates or officers from a particular group within a department/institution that mostly rests on the discretion of the top brass.

Practically, Ambassadors and embassies act as mere post offices between the two governments, trip facilitation, and visa issuance centers, and information outposts in the host country, while that function can easily be performed through relatively small teams instead of hundreds of permanent employees and ad-hoc local workers as a majority of the counselor services had been digitalized so far. The recent leak of official communication from the Foreign Office illustrates poor working ethics, no discipline, and nonprofessionalism of Pakistani diplomats that caused great embarrassment for the country at the global level. The Foreign Office already has secured communication channels, encryption facilities, and trained staff, but all those dedicated equipment and personnel failed to perform their core function. Now, Pakistani Baboos come up with a new recipe namely, the Share Pakistan Portal which is nothing else except a misuse of resources and fake publicity.

The prevailing hybrid geostrategic environment and ongoing global rivalry between the major powers had significantly reduced the role of envoys and diplomats in global diplomacy as the relations between the states evolves on the decisions and policies of the concerned capitals. The strategically aligned nations fundamentally cooperate with each other and diplomacy work at its best in such cases. At the same time, diplomats face insulation and idleness if the host country has conflicting political and trade interests with their nation. At the same time, trade and tourism, economic and commercial activities further boost the bilateral relations between the states, whereas Pakistan’s case is totally different whose export had been badly shrunk because of the high cost of production, energy crisis, and poor quality control by the producers as well as the regulators. Thus, Pakistan’s foreign policy initiatives such as Look Africa, Engage Africa, Vision East Asia, and EU’s GSP Plus status could not create a favorable impact that is dearly needed by the South Asian nation amid recurrent geopolitical and foreign policy challenges in the contemporary world.

Apparently, offensive diplomacy and robust economic outreach are the needs of an economically strong and politically viable state, which pursues its economic and political interests through capable and genius diplomats, massive budget allocation, and grants/aid to other nations. Pakistan surely does not fall into that category and Islamabad needs to align its foreign policy objectives vis-a-vis its economic and security needs. Meanwhile, the over-optimism of bureaucrats and ill-motive public diplomacy had always proved to be unviable and counterproductive in the past. There is a dire need that the core team of the Pakistan Foreign Office to concentrate on its primary objectives, reconsider its operation methodology, introduce simplicity, and interact with foreign diplomats instead of service to oneself, family, and friends, so the nation benefits from their vision, tact, and diplomacy otherwise sophisticated verbosity accomplishes nothing in the past.