Pakistan's foreign policy has to be repositioned vis-à-vis African countries without disturbing the focus on the West to harness the available potential to promote Pak-African relations in different fields.
It was suggested by Senate Foreign Relations Committee in its report on Pak-Africa relations released recently. The report is based on the meetings of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with the African ambassadors in Islamabad.
Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, elaborating the salient features of the report, said: "A proactive policy would be required for better interaction between the parliaments of Pakistan and African countries coupled with establishing friendship groups for African countries in the parliament."
Mushahid said that in the past Pakistan had not frankly devoted enough attention to promote relations with African countries. He said: "Pakistan and African countries have had close ties before and during the colonial days.
"Pakistan, which was among the first Muslim countries to gain independence, spearheaded support the struggle for self-determination of African colonies," he added.
Many African leaders had travelled on Pakistani diplomatic passports while a large number of students from African countries had studies in Pakistan universities, he said.
Referring to peace-keeping activities in Africa, he said, Pakistan had, on different occasions, contributed peace-keeping continents to the United Nations, which were deployed in Ghana, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Congo to assist them in transition to self-rule or to provide relief assistance to famine affected areas.
He said a number of eminent Pakistanis had served in Africa on different assignments. Justice M.B. Ahmed was Chief Justice of Nigeria, while Air Marshal Daudpota (Retd) was head of Zimbabean Air Force. Sahibzada Yaqoob Khan was special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Western Sahara and Sheharyar Khan was special envoy of the UN for Rawanda and Brundi.
High level visits by the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister and ministers would go a long way in establishing and cementing close brotherly ties with Africa.
Mushahid said Pakistan should pursue an aggressive economic diplomacy to reap the abundant financial benefits as well as investment opportunities that existed in Africa. He said setting up of ministerial commissions with different African countries would be one of the steps in the right direction.
Mushahid Hussain said "African dimension" had become very important in the world politics, of trade, economic and politics.
Appreciating close relations between Pakistan and African countries, Mushahid said there would be more people to people and parliamentarians interactions between Pakistan and African countries.
Mushahid said a delegation of Senate Foreign Relations Committee would visit African countries this year to promote parliamentary relations with these countries. He said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would also be visiting some African countries this month to promote bilateral relations.