PESHAWAR: Former President Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammad Atif Haleem has been appointed Provincial Chairman of Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In this regard notification has been issued, said in a press release here on Wednesday. He has replaced Umer Masood ur Rehman.
The PBF has started restructuring in the province so as to be better prepared for the effective advocacy forum by one of the largest private sector businesses and conglomerates.
PBF KP Chairman Muhammad Atif Haleem said the future of Pakistan lies in economic diplomacy and outreach to the world. Economic stability cannot come at the cost of military security and human security.
The challenge is too big to overcome and needs a broader national response. Pakistan must reorient the thrust of its diplomatic efforts towards economic benefit and prosperity of the masses.
He said, “Economic Diplomacy is not just a buzzword, but a blueprint to leverage our diplomatic assets in the service of our development agenda.”
A serious shift towards increasing trade and investment stakes of regional partners may well be the only answer to reviving growth and stability.
It is a real test for the leadership to maturely and sensibly manage this transition from a security-led engagement to leveraging regional economic potential for shared prosperity and the possibility of catching up with the income levels of emerging Asia.
In addition to the state, the most important actors of economic diplomacy include regional organisations, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, private companies and non-governmental economic bodies.
Most recent literature closely links economic security with national security priorities where the role of economic diplomacy becomes crucial in neutralising the security threats emerging from weak economic fundamentals.
No wonder that a country of over 200 million people is struggling to come up with a serious growth policy with an inexperienced conflicted team of generalists.
The point is simple: without creating space for top-class economists, sector experts and people of international standing, a mindset shift will not happen.
“Economic diplomacy requires visible signals of a new approach to reposition Pakistan in a rapidly changing world.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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