PM Khan directs foreign office, envoys to promote Pakistan's image abroad

Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday directed the foreign office and envoys posted abroad to promote the soft image of Pakistan globally through proactive economic diplomacy.

Khan was addressing the concluding session of the two-day Envoys Conference on Economic Diplomacy here.

He said the nation needs to change its mindset of depending on others and make coordinated national efforts to convert current challenges at different fronts into opportunities, Radio Pakistan reported.

"Our elites have ditched the country at international level for their own vested interests," he said adding that past rulers projected themselves as progressive and painted the rest of the nation as extremist, causing "enormous damage to the national image".

Highlighting the importance of expatriates, the prime minister said "overseas Pakistanis are our great asset, which needs to be better utilised".

He said Pakistani embassies abroad should extend every possible assistance and cooperation to Pakistani workers and diaspora convincing them to invest in their home country.

Khan stressed the need for vigorous efforts to enhance exports and said Pakistani envoys should explore new avenues like Africa and Latin America for Pakistani products.

He said Pakistan is a fertile territory for investment making it an attractive place for business. He said the government believes in providing cordial atmosphere for ease of doing business.

Khan said the government was going to conduct the largest operation in the country's history against money laundering.

"There are reports that more than USD 10 billion are send abroad from Pakistan through money laundering," he reportedly said.

He said opposition politicians from Sindh were making noises after his government put several of them on the no-fly list, a day after the government moved to place former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on the Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent them from flying abroad after they were named in a Supreme Court-appointed joint investigative team's probe over fake bank accounts.

Khan said Pakistan was not in a hurry to get aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).