Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday launched a mobile application ‘FM Direct’ for a direct digital connection between him and all officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For the first time in the history of the institution, each officer irrespective of the grade or location, is directly connected with the Foreign Minister.

According to the Foreign Office, the ‘FM Direct’ was a “new and evolved way of thinking, encapsulating the spirit of meritocracy and transparency” within the Foreign Office through digital communications.

“The mobile application has been introduced during COVID-19 pandemic as an efficient and swift medium of internal communication, in cognizance of the critical importance of interactive and responsive multi-stakeholder coordination and dialogue,” it said.

Earlier in December 2019, Foreign Minister Qureshi introduced #VisionFO to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of his Public Diplomacy Initiative to promote a macro vision, digital landscape and a transparent way of communications.

The Foreign Office has also introduced the concept of e-office and invested in secure, encrypted video conferencing facilities connecting it with its key missions across the world.

Qureshi, under the ‘FM Connect coffee mornings’, regularly connects with a diversity of stakeholders across Pakistan each month, to help frame a more progressive and inclusive foreign policy.

He has also introduced an advisory council, engaging the expert views of seasoned retired diplomats.