Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday urged the international community to take a “fresh look” at Pakistan and abandon preconceived notions about it.
Before his first trip to Singapore, Bilawal told The Strait Times, “As a young political leader, I firmly feel that the world has to take a fresh look at Pakistan, away from its stereotyped image.
According to Bilawal, there are “many opportunities in Pakistan waiting for the world.” But he added that lifting the travel warnings against Pakistan is the first step in taking advantage of those prospects.
Bilawal stated, “I believe that the world needs to look at us more objectively, as a promising emerging market. He emphasized Pakistan’s young population and its middle class, which is growing at a fast pace.
Pakistan’s foreign minister emphasized throughout the visit that relations with ASEAN nations are a vital priority for Islamabad. Islamabad wants to transform its collaboration with the regional grouping into a complete dialogue partnership, he continued.
“Some recent ASEAN efforts, which we believe would open up a wealth of trade and investment opportunities for rising economies like Pakistan, are of considerable importance to Pakistan.”
By engaging with Southeast Asia, we think our start-up and fintech ecosystem can make significant contributions, said Bilawal.
According to the foreign minister, Pakistan places a high value on its relations with Singapore within the framework of ASEAN.
He emphasized how Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize Singapore after its independence and how Pakistani expats had a positive impact on the nation’s early development.
