In the 21s century, it is clear that global power is no longer only defined by economic and military strength, but by how the world judges you. That’s why it is called “Narrative War where information, perception, and legitimacy is important. New reality has made where states compete for its image, legitimacy, and influence. A country who can write their own story, they can have their influence in global world. This is biggest challenge for Pakistan instead of having strong geopolitical importance, they couldn’t control their global image.
Pakistan Public Diplomacy Problem
It must be accepted that Pakistan’s public diplomacy was historically weak. After 9/11 Pakistan’s image was associated with terrorism and instability at international level, and this narrative has become that strong Pakistan couldn’t highlight their positive contributions effectively. In my opinion this was not just issue of external propaganda but internal communication failure. Pakistan had always adopted reactive approach, when a negative narrative emerged, it has been answered, but didn’t build image proactively. Countries such as, United States, China, and India shaped global discourse, while Pakistan often remained in defensive position.
A New Opportunity (2025-2026)
This is also true that Pakistan has improved its diplomatic engagement in recent years. During 2025 to 2026, Pakistan played active role at global level, which is positive development. And this as a golden opportunity for Pakistan to strengthen their public diplomacy parallel. The critical thing which is also important to understand is, diplomacy is not just enough it is also important to communicate it effectively. If Pakistan does not presents its achievements, so international audience would not appreciate it.
Islamabad Peace Talks: A Test Case
1 consider Islamabad Peace Talks 2026 Pakistan’s public diplomacy’s important test case. To host talks between United States and Iran was a major diplomatic step, which presents Pakistan as a
Peace facilitator. This was a strong signal which showed that Pakistan cannot just become the part of regional issues, but also the part of global solutions. However talks were not successful, but in my opinion this effort should not be underestimate by perspective of public diplomacy, this initiative could become strong tool for Pakistan to improve its image, if it was projected effectively.
From Security State to Peace Promoter
Pakistan has a unique opportunity to transform its image from “security state” to peace “promoter.” Pakistan’s geographical position and its relations with Iran, China, and West give a chance to build a bridge. But this transformation is bot done automatically, for this deliberately public diplomacy strategy is important. If Pakistan highlights its mediation effort at global level and presents it’s as leadership example, so they can significantly improve their narrative
Where Pakistan still Falls Short
There is a problem that Pakistan cannot develop its public diplomacy systematically. In my opinion there are two major issues, weak media presence and inconsistent messaging. Pakistan does not have global media platform, which can have influence like BBC and Al-Jazeera. Similarly, digital diplomacy is not utilizing properly. Social media is where narratives shaped, and Pakistan’s approach is still fragmented. More concern is that Pakistan have no clear and unified narrative. Different institutions gives different messages, so international audience gets confuse. And when there is no clarity then countries interpret Pakistan’s action according to their own understanding.
What Pakistan Must Do
If Pakistan wants to compete in narrative war seriously, so they have to prioritize its public diplomacy first. In my opinion the first step should be to develop clear and unified national narrative.
Secondly, Pakistan needs to promote its soft power actively. Culture, media, drama industry, and diaspora is Pakistan’s strength, but they are not in significant use. If Pakistan use these strengths effectively, so Pakistan’s image can improve globally.
Third, Pakistan should strengthen its digital diplomacy, in today’s time, the country who does not control online narrative, they can lose their global perception. Pakistan has to focus on timely consistent, and engaging communication
The Risk of Over Claiming
But I also understand that just creating narrative is not enough. If ground realities are not strong. So narrative can collapse. Economic issues, governance problems, and political instability can undermine Pakistan’s credibility. Similarly, if diplomatic initiatives are overhyped and fail to deliver results, they can have negative consequences. That’s why public diplomacy should be realistic and balanced.
In conclusion, Pakistan has credibility to compete in global narrative war, but only if it takes its public diplomacy seriously. Now the time has come for Pakistan not just to be part of global events, but to actively shape them. This is the wakeup call for Pakistan to make its voice strong and define its image. In my view if Pakistan continues to ignore its public diplomacy, it will fall behind the narrative war. However, if it adopts the right strategy, it can not only compete but also lead.
Dua Brohi
Dua Brohi is an undergraduate international student of International Relations at Fatima Jinnah Women University. Her area of interest are diplomacy, soft power, and Pakistan’s foreign Policy Particularly, she is interested in the role of culture, media, and building international image in shaping global relations
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