ISLAMABAD, Nov 17 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Monday gave credit of Pakistan’s global turnaround to the ideal civil-military relations the country has under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Addressing to a roundtable dialogue on the issue of “Pakistan in the Changing World”, the minister said the world is taking Pakistan extremely serious since war with India this May, while the global institutions are praising the economic turnaround of the country.
Referring to the two slogans i.e. “From Default to Development” and “Isolation to Relevance”, he said they have been the guiding principles of the policies pursued by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“In a very short span of time, we have become extremely relevant at global level,” he said, adding the war with India had redefined the country at the global level.
He called the prime minister’s offer for “impartial and fair investigation” into the Pahalgam incident was the turning point.
“By offering this investigation just before the world, I think we had a point to prove that our hands are clean and that point was well taken. And that turning point had strengthened our alliances and friends and the countries who were on the fence, it made them realize what Pakistan stands for,” he emphasized.
He called it a major diplomatic move which is well received all over the world.
The time was right that the world had heard our story and heard it right, he said, adding “we are often blamed for the acts of terror which is not our fault. In fact, being the biggest victim of terrorism, there was a propaganda against Pakistan, blaming us for terrorism.
You cannot be a victim and aggressor at the same time. Its an oxymoron and an inherit contradiction.”
He said no other country had sacrificed their 90,000 persons and incurred hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses in its fight against terrorism.
“We are also a shield wall between terrorists and the rest of the world. So when a Pakistani lays down his or her life—yes , it is for the motherland but it also to make the world a safer place,” he stressed.
He said Pakistan successfully proved this point during the immense diplomatic engagements—that followed after the Pahalgam incident—at the level of prime minister, field marshal and deputy prime minister.
He said, “when I say the world is changing, I would say that Pakistan is also changed. We saw an aggressive diplomatic change and our diplomacy worked very well because we were taking diplomacy and relations with other countries very seriously.”
The minister ruled out any laxity and complacency in diplomacy of Pakistan, also highlighting the strides it made at the narrative level with the “strength of truth”.
“When we told the story and told it right, the world heard it and it had an impact,” he said, mentioning the critical role of the diplomacy and narrative building in the face of misinformation and disinformation.
He appreciated the synergy between the Information Ministry and Inter-Services Public Relations.
“We were winning at diplomatic and narrative fronts and when it actually came down to brass tacks, by the Almighty blessings we had already shot down seven planes and when we were confronted with brute force, we gave them a bloody nose,” he noted.
“And that befitting response actually proved our military might and India within four hours, India was compelled to request for a ceasefire,” Tarar added.
“So when I say Pakistan is changing, Pakistan actually changed,” he said praising the unity and resilience displayed by the nation.
Referring to Pakistan’s participation in Gaza peace talks and role in ceasefire, he said, “Pakistan becomes relevant at global level and that’s a big win for Pakistan where the world is taking us extremely seriously.”
“We had a lot of visits of foreign dignitaries this year while the diplomatic engagement in the last two years was at its peak, we had hosted SCO head of governments summits and we had 12 prime ministers coming to Islamabad talking about strategic ties, regional cooperation, counter terrorism, regional connectivity, ” the minister stated.
He announced that Islamabad is going to host SCO Heads of the State Summit in 2027 which will be another big event.
As regards the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia, he said it is one of the best things happened to Pakistan in recent history.
The economy of Pakistan has witnessed a turnaround, as endorsed by international institutions. There is a situation in Afghanistan but we have a platform where we can present irrefutable evidence of their involvement in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan,” he noted.
“Pakistan has played its cards right and formulated a policy that have got us success in diplomacy,” he said, adding this could have not been possible without civil military leadership on the same page. “Without that cohesion and ideal working relations that existed between the Prime Minister and Field Marshal.”
This is fruit of that cohesion existed between institutions, he said, adding it is the stability at home that enables Pakistan to present its case abroad effectively.