Pakistan’s Missing Soft Power Strategy

Syeda Maleeka Fatima

Rawalpindi: In the age of digital hyperconnectivity, visuals and narratives shape global perceptions more powerfully than treaties or tanks. Cultural storytelling is no longer a soft accessory to diplomacy—it has become the very currency of influence.

While militaries and ministries once dominated the global conversation, nations today win hearts and minds through films, music, fashion, memes, and digital culture. Countries like South Korea and Turkey have mastered this shift. K-pop, K-dramas, and Ottoman-themed historical shows have not only captivated global audiences but also reshaped how the world views those nations. Yet, amid this global soft power surge, Pakistan remains largely absent.

This absence is not due to a lack of cultural depth. Pakistan possesses a remarkable civilizational legacy, with an abundance of spiritual, poetic, artistic, and comedic traditions.

From the haunting resonance of qawwalis to the colorful explosion of truck art, from meme culture that reflects a sharp societal wit to a musical landscape fusing classical ragas with modern beats—Pakistan has the raw material for powerful nation branding.

However, these assets remain grossly underutilized due to institutional inertia, a lack of vision, and reactive international posturing. Instead of shaping a confident global image, Pakistan often seeks validation from external powers or simply drifts through global cultural currents without steering its own course.

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A missed opportunity that perfectly illustrates this gap is the phenomenal success of Turkey’s Diriliş: Ertuğrul. More than a TV series, it was a well-crafted state-backed cultural product that projected a proud and rooted Islamic identity.

In Pakistan, the show garnered massive popularity and even public endorsement from state figures. But there was no follow-up—no joint productions, no artistic collaborations, no cultural diplomacy initiatives that could transform shared enthusiasm into sustained cultural partnership. The moment passed, unleveraged and unclaimed.

This vacuum exists across other important bilateral relationships as well. China, Pakistan’s closest economic partner, has failed to become a cultural partner. Despite extensive collaboration under CPEC, cultural exchanges remain minimal.

There are no widely known joint media ventures, no significant language or literature festivals, and little digital storytelling about shared journeys or civilizational intersections. Similarly, Iran and Pakistan share centuries-old religious, poetic, and cultural bonds.

Pilgrimages, Sufi traditions, shared poetic giants like Allama Iqbal—these are natural bridges for diplomacy. But institutionalized cultural cooperation is virtually nonexistent.

To change this, Pakistan must move from cultural indifference to cultural strategy. It needs to institutionalize cultural diplomacy through a National Cultural Diplomacy Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This council should be tasked with long-term planning, mapping exportable cultural assets, and coordinating with embassies, artists, influencers, and media partners worldwide.

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Additionally, Pakistan must forge trilateral cultural agreements with Turkey, Iran, and China, facilitating joint media projects, language and literature festivals, youth exchanges, and digital platforms that explore shared civilizational themes like the Silk Road or Islamic history.

Creative fellowships should also be offered to young Pakistani artists, filmmakers, musicians, and influencers, enabling them to co-create content with their peers in partner countries. These low-cost, high-impact investments can generate digital content that resonates with global Gen Z audiences.

Furthermore, the second phase of CPEC must integrate cultural initiatives—art and film festivals, school exchanges, and multilingual archives along economic corridors. This approach would humanize hard infrastructure with soft power, embedding stories and emotional connections into physical spaces.

The stakes are high. A well-crafted cultural strategy can help Pakistan shed its crisis-prone image and instead present a multidimensional identity rooted in civilizational continuity. It can offer an alternative to the simplistic “Islam vs. the West” binary, carving out a postcolonial, spiritually grounded, yet modern identity—aligned with other non-Western cultural powers. Most importantly, it can empower Pakistan’s youth by giving them the tools and platforms to narrate their own story to the world.

Pakistan does not need to mimic Bollywood or ride the coattails of K-pop. Its true strength lies in its authenticity—its poetic soul, spiritual depth, humor, and diversity. But cultural expression needs more than talent; it requires structure, vision, partners, and consistent investment.

The world is increasingly open to non-Western narratives. Turkey has seized the moment. Iran continues to win global accolades despite sanctions. Even China, with all its challenges, is making headway in global storytelling. Pakistan too can rise—if it realizes that in today’s world, narrative is power, and culture is diplomacy.

Soft power is no longer an afterthought. It is the new frontier of global influence. With intentional, collaborative, and creative efforts, Pakistan can shift from the margins of the global cultural imagination to a position of central relevance. But the time to act is now.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.

Syeda Maleeka Fatima is a student of International Relations at Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rawalpindi. Her area of interest is soft diplomacy.