ISLAMABAD, FEB 10: The Graduation Ceremony of the 40th Specialized Diplomatic Course was held at the Foreign Service Academy in Islamabad on Wednesday.
In his address at the ceremony as the Chief Guest, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged the diplomats to be innovative and mould themselves according to modern demands of diplomacy to achieve goals efficiently and effectively.
The foreign minister said that a series of reforms have been instituted in the Foreign Ministry which is today more open to inputs for policy formulation.
Qureshi said that we are interacting with different segments of the society including the think tanks to get a fresh perspective.
However, he added that the foreign policy has to be led by the diplomats whilst accommodating the inputs from different stakeholders.
The foreign minister said that our diplomats need to be more articulate and effective team members who think out of the box and deliver results.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that we are employing images, graphics, and videos to better communicate with a wider array of audiences. He said that Specialized Cells including Crisis Management and Kashmir Cells have been established to deliver better results.
The foreign minister stressed that a better Civil Service is important to provide good governance. He said that the political leaders give their ideas and policies and it is the Civil Service that has to implement them.
Qureshi said that we want the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be such an institution that is strong enough to give the leadership that the nation requires.
