Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has stressed the need for an effective economic diplomacy to bring foreign investment in the country. Chairing an important meeting at the Foreign Office on Thursday, the foreign minister and other senior officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed the challenges in pursuing an effective foreign policy and also reviewed the progress so far made in the set targets in the foreign diplomacy.
Qureshi noted that the new visa policy is yielding positive results, adding that promotion of cultural diplomacy has brought significant improvement in tourism sector. To address the problems of the overseas Pakistanis, he said that Pakistani missions abroad have been given clear directions for the welfare of the Diaspora and timely redressal of their problems.
The foreign minister further said that Consular Section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been digitised with a view to facilitate the people in attestation of their documents. The meeting was attended by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Interior Minister Brig Ijaz Shah (retd) also held a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Qureshi and discussed with him the internal security situation as well as the issuance of e-visa facility.
Qureshi said that the online visa facility will facilitate those intending to make investment in Pakistan. They also discussed the issue of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia's jails. The interior minister said that his ministry is in touch with Saudi authorities for early release and repatriation of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners in the Kingdom. The two ministers also agreed to make the immigration more easy and simple for the overseas Pakistanis.