Qureshi chairs meeting of Public Diplomacy Group for building closer linkages.

ISLAMABAD -- Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday chaired the inaugural meeting of the Consultative Group on Public Diplomacy in line with his vision to enhance and upgrade the communication toolkit of the Foreign Office.

'Operationalization of the Consultative Group marks the launch of another key institutional reform premised on forging closer linkages between the Foreign Office and other stakeholders, and inducting fresh thinking and new ideas into the policy formulation process,' a Foreign Office statement said.

The dedicated group set up by the foreign minister comprises eminent scholars, field specialists and former Ambassadors and aims at bringing focused attention to various aspects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' public diplomacy initiatives including projecting Pakistan's real image abroad, and more effectively highlighting the country's rich artistic, cultural, literary and sports heritage.

Federal Minister for National History and Literary Heritage, and Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mahmood; former Senator Javed Jabbar; Ambassador Zamir Akram; Ambassador Tasnim Aslam; Ambassador Shahid Kamal, along with. Emran Akhtar, and Ms. Selina Rashid participated in the meeting, together with senior officials of the ministry.

Deliberations focused on concrete steps needed to more purposefully engage...