Pakistan is fantastic! What a tagline. Not made by a stale advertising company. Not made by an emotional Pakistani. Not made by a magnanimous Chinese or Turkish friend but by Her Royal Highness Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. That too in her first-ever interview given on CNN TV in eight years of her entry into Buckingham Palace. The visit of the Royal is over but its after awes remain internationally. What Pakistan has gained out of it is considerable but what the royal couple has gained out of it is also substantial. Diplomacy is a rare art but also a planned science. This visit was an exercise in modern day international relations that are so subtly woven into the culture and events of the diplomatic code that it creates special bonds and connections.
Any visit has to be a mutually beneficial win-win to create enduring memories and relationships. For the royal visit analysis there is a need to examine what each country gained to understand the importance of diplomacy impact. Princess Kate and Prince Williams are household names in most part of the world as they are royalty. The most talked about subject is what they wear, how they live and their royal duties and scandals, if any. Princess Diana created a name for herself as a rebel to the royalty as she assumed a more human face. She was open about her personal issues and was immensely popular due to the many charity causes she supported. She was the princess of people and her life and death still fascinate people due to the almost movie like events that happened to her.
Prince William is more sedate of the two brothers. While Harry has been wild, William is the more orthodox royal. His marriage to Kate was a big royal splash but the couple is more renowned for their three cute children than special events good or bad. Kate has the added pressure of being compared to Lady Diana all the time. Thus, when the 5-day visit was announced to Pakistan it was inevitable that comparisons with Lady Diana's visit will be made which are difficult to live up to. However, the royal couple made their own distinctive mark due to some excellent homework and differential diplomacy.
1. The Normal "People" appeal - The movement of the Royals acting less like Royals and more like the ordinary people started by Lady Diana was taken forward by Prince William and Kate Middleton. Their ability to mix with the students in a public school at Islamabad and then with children at SOS Village was memorable. Their spontaneous stop in a family house in Chitral despite heavy security to have tea with the family was fascinating. Their insistence to go back to SOS when weather delayed them in Lahore made them touch many hearts;
2. Diversity events - The tour was very well planned to address many diverse issues. From education to climate change and from culture and religion to fashion and tourism their appeal of being people of substance representing an evolving monarchy was very impactful;
3. Cultural Appreciation - The most remarkable aspect was the respect for Pakistani culture, history and fashion. Kate wore the top Pakistani designer's outfits but with due respect for culture. The attention to detail including preference for green colour, wearing the Chitrali cape and donning the dupatta during the recitation of the Holy Quran was commendable. The Prince and Princess played cricket with the cricketers and the children in such a joyful manner that it created instant affinity.
The Royal visit thus was an exhibition of personal diplomacy, environmental diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, sports diplomacy and fashion diplomacy. These are classics of modern day Soft Power tools. From a ruling subjugating monarchy that oppressed the subcontinent to a bonding, sharing monarchy practicing mutual respect perception was successfully crafted and created.
Pakistan has a great opportunity to create a different image by practicing the soft power tools. Political diplomacy has made a difference to the image as seen by the changing relations with USA. The many other tools of Soft Power are still to be fully utilized. Following are the Soft Power diplomacy tools that can bear fruit to establish Pakistan's image and relations in the world:
1. Religious Diplomacy - Kartarpur is a great example of religious diplomacy. This corridor despite India's aggressive actions is and will greatly help in presenting the softer side of the country to the world. Similarly, the unique treasure of Buddhism relics of Pakistan can be commemorated with a similar event that invites the Royalty of Japan to come and launch it. This visit along with dignitaries of the Buddhist region ranging from Sri Lanka to Far East will not only be a huge image builder but a great tourism revenue earner.
2. Sports Diplomacy - As Pakistan tries to boost its exports in nontraditional markets like Africa what it needs is to see what are the passions of these countries. Football remains a top followed sport and one of the best ways to promote relations is for our foreign missions to distribute the footballs used in the World Cup from the factory in Sialkot to major opinion makers and associations in selected countries. Visit by our ministers accompanied by football diplomacy will win the hearts of many people the way it did when Kate and William played cricket with children at National Cricket Academy.
3. Fashion Diplomacy - Pakistan has some world-class fashion designers. They should be fully engaged before important tours of the Prime Minister and ministers and requested to create culturally acceptable clothes for important dignitaries of the countries being visited based on Pakistan's traditional intricate embroidery but styled to suit their social preferences.
Rarely in the last decade has Pakistan been talked about so positively in high places as in the recent past. Kate Middleton calls Pakistan very "Special and Fantastic". The Sri Lankan Captain tweets about the great security and amazing hospitality of Pakistanis and Forbes magazine publishes an interview of a global blogger who visited Pakistan with this heading "This Popular Solo Female Travel Vlogger Thinks Pakistan Could Be The World's No. 1 Tourism Destination". This global accolade in the space of the last few weeks should not be taken for granted. Instead it should be granted a special status of new impetus to diplomacy. This involves a push-and-pull diplomacy strategy to create and craft Pakistan's soft image of being a peaceful, beautiful and opportunity-full country.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019