sapr212022, 12:08 Pakistan's Untapped Sof Power Potential ~ South Asian Voices
Economy & Development
Pakistan’s Untapped Soft Power
Potential
Written by Saif Khattak June 22,2021 8minread
Pakistan's foreign policy under Prime Minister Imran Khan has grown more proactive as.
Pakistan has responded directly to international trends. Diplornatically, Pakistan has
become vocal about global issues such as climate change and Islamophobia. Its strong
response to the latest crisis in Palestine is an extension of a larger diplomatic trend that
seeks to enhance Pakistan's soft power.
Along with diplomacy, the government has viewed tourism as a leading avenue for
projecting Pakistan's positive image globally. Be it the development of the Kartarpur
Corridor, the creation of a dedicated tourism channel Discover Pakistan, or the politically
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supported and widely promoted inaugurations of tourist projects, the resources Pakistan
invests in the tourism sector directly complement Pakistan's soft power agenda.
While diplomacy and tourisrn have played a significant role in promoting an image of
Pakistan as a peaceful and progressive country, the soft power benefits of diplomacy and
tourism are short-term and limited. First, diplomacy—in encouraging rapprochement
among actors with different ideological and moral leanings—can lead to self-contradictory
stances over time. This can diminish, rather than enhance, a state's soft power. For
‘example, the United States’ moral support for democracy and its simultaneous political
backing of dictators in the Middle East has served to erode U.S. soft power. Second,
globalization has ushered in a trend of multi-destination tourism, prompting tourists to
visit rnuttiple countries in a single trip. Under such a trend, Pakistan is unlikely to gain a
relative soft power advantage over other South Asian countries that boast similar
topography and cultural landscapes.
Pakistan's current approaches to soft power are suitable for damage control: diplornacy
for its previous international isolation and tourism to improve its tarnished security
image. To play a rmore assertive role on the world stage, Pakistan must recalibrate its soft
power strategy and invest in more sustainable sectors such as media, education, and
commerce.
‘Shaping Global Narratives through Media
Media holds an essential place in a state's soft power toolkit, Outlets like BSC, CNN, and
TRT have global footprints, attracting audiences towards their respective state's political
and cultural values. When it comes to entertainment, Hollywood has played a central role
in enhancing the appeal of Americanism. Turkey has also recently attempted to export its
culture internationally by translating and distributing drarnas, such as Dirilis Ertugrul
Redesigning the marketing stralegy of PTV’s international
English-language subsidiary PTV World could improve
international reach.
Despite possessing a well-established media sector, Pakistan's media outlets do not
attract global audiences, which diminishes Pakistan's ability to share its perspectives with
the world, Its electronic and print media primarily cover topics targeted at a domestic
audience. Pakistan's entertainment industry, although vibrant, has seldom generated
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content worthy of export, Even big-budget projects sponsored by the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces mostly focus on improving the
military's image within Pakistan rather than Pakistan's image abroad
Pakistan too can leverage its media industry to improve its soft power. The Pakistan
Television (PTV)—Pakistan's state network—may prove an asset for Pakistan's efforts to
internationalize domestic media, Despite being underequipped and underfunded, the
channel has somewhat regained its appeal with the broadcast of Dirilis Ertugrul. The
government can utilize this temporary boost by sponsoring entertainment projects
focused on Pakistan's cultural landscape, dubbing thern into foreign languages, and
distributing them through online streaming platforms, such as Netflix. Redesigning the
rnarketing strategy of PTV's international English-language subsidiary PTV World could
improve Pakistan's international reach, While its social media presence currently serves to
merely promote its television news programs, it could be revamped as an information
outlet, highlighting and analyzing relevant domestic and international events. PTV World
can attract a global audience in the digital space by improving online graphics and posting
digestible news videos regularly on its social media platforms,
Internationalization of Local Education Sector
Another soft power avenue that remains underutilized is Pakistan's education sector.
Student exchange programs are cost-effective and sustainable methods of developing a
state's soft power. Programs like Fulbright and Chevening attract students from around
the world, acculturating them to their host country. Since these merit-based scholarships
attract high-achieving, ambitious individuals, these students are likely to gain influential
positions in their home countries and promote a positive outlook of their study-abroad
host country.
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Pakistan currently trains from South Asia and the Middle East in its military
academies. Yet, gains from opening up its military academies to non-Pakistanis are small
compared to the overall potential of Pakistan's education sector. Presently, three Pakistani
universities feature in the top 400 and ten in the top 1200
While these statistics are not particularly impressive on their own, Pakistan's education
sector is a cut above other regional states like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, lran, and Sri Lanka
that collectively boast only eight universities in the top 1200 rankings. Pakistan could
utilize these rankings to attract talent from strategically important states, introduce
international students to positive aspects of Pakistani culture, and develop them as.
ambassadors of Pakistan in their horne countries.
On this front, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan can collaborate with the Higher
Education Commission to create to attract
youth from the developing world. Leveraging the ongoing
initiative - a framework of collaboration among countries in the Global South ~ by
promoting local university offerings could enhance the appeal of such programs. While
Pakistan is bound to face competition from India, whose educational institutes rank
comparatively better, Pakistan possesses a unique advantage. While India and Pakistan's
shared culture amalgamates elements from South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia,
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Pakistan is a Muslirn-majority country, and Urdu is written in the Arabic script. This may
make it easier for students from many South, Central, and West Asian countries to adapt
to Pakistan's academic and social environments.
The Soft Power of Commerce
In the age of open markets, commerce naturally plays a crucial role in promoting a state's
image. The worldwide success of Apple and Huawei brands reflects positively on the
United States and China respectively. Other countries have focused their efforts on entire
industries - India on its Information Technology (IT) sector and Germany on its,
automobile industry.
In order to properly utilize the country’s commerce offerings, the
government can provide incentives to exporters that develop
products used globally and are eager to explore new destination
While Pakistan's exports are rising, its export basket is not very diverse. Only a few of its
products are truly global, and their destinations are primarily limited to the United States,
China, and Europe. Local companies such as Gourmet and Shezan export products
internationally but lack the branding to establish themselves as global household nares.
Pakistani factories that produce goods for renowned foreign brands improve the soft
power leverage of the international investor, not the manufacturer.
In order to properly utilize the country’s commerce offerings, the government can provide
incentives to exporters that develop products used globally and are eager to explore new
destinations. Further, the Chamber of Commerce could arrange product marketing and
branding workshops for export-oriented companies to help improve their international
recognition, The country’s name would be linked with locally produced international
products, improving Pakistan's global soft power image.
Conclusion
Pakistan has begun to acknowledge the importance of investing in soft power tools. The
ISPR's reality TV show 60 Hours to Glory, the NUST Internship Program for International
Students (NIPIS), and the dispute with India over the basmati rice label illustrate the
country's efforts in this regard
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Nonetheless, these recent initiatives are insufficient on their own. To fully leverage its soft
power potential, Pakistan would need to overcome its traditional fixation on security and
geopolitics, which restricts channels for pursuing national interests. Pakistan would also
need to improve its press freedom reputation, which, in its current state, negatively affects
its soft power image and outweighs the benefits of media internationalization. The
government must also address brain drain and energy shortage problems, which
adversely impact its education and commerce sectors.
Overall, Pakistan's education, media, and commerce sectors provide ample opportunities
to develop its soft power. It still has a long way to go before it properly harnesses the
untapped potential of these soft power resources,
Click here to read this article in Urdu.
Image 1: Shahzeb Younas via Flickr
Image 2: Guilhem Vellut via Flickr
Posted in: Economics, Education, Media, Pakistan, Soft Power
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