Session on ‘Pakistan Foreign Policy’

A sitting studying objectives, determinants and formulation of ‘Pakistan Foreign Policy’ was held at IPS on May 29, 2018. The session was addressed by Amb (r) Tajammul Altaf, who was the main speaker, and DG-IPS Khalid Rahman.

Apprising the participants about the processes involved in the formulation of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy, Amb (r) Tajammul Altaf said that it is not the Foreign Office only that formulates the policy, instead the policy is prepared in coordination with country’s other important institutions such as the parliament, senate and the armed forces.

The speaker bemoaned that Pakistan had a tendency to reshape its foreign policy as per the needs of time, as seen in the case of 9/11 attacks, as a result of which it often finds itself dangling far from the originally intended objectives. He said that while it was good to have a policy that is adaptable to different situations, this should be made sure that the foundations of the policy are kept firmly unscathed.

Rahman pointed that social media in the modern arena was playing an increasingly influential role in reshaping and promoting the foreign policies of many countries as many impotant world leaders are directly communicating through social media. He stressed that Pakistan should also realize this fact sooner rather than later and try to formulate its foreign policy in light of this evolving reality.