Prospects of a feminist foreign policy for Pakistan: Obstacles and way forward

Abstract

A feminist foreign policy framework is a humane alternative to the conventional foreign policy approach. This idea has gained visible prominence globally as it aims to incorporate gender equality as well as gender sensitivity across the board. Despite these developments globally, the debate on feminist foreign policy remains relatively less prominent in Pakistan’s context. Therefore, this study intends to explore the challenges, prospects, and a possible way forward to incorporate components in line with feminist foreign policy within Pakistan’s foreign policy framework. A qualitative approach is used with an amalgamation of secondary as well as primary sources comprising existing literature, a field survey based on purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews. Comparative insights from countries such as Sweden, Canada, Mexico, and Germany are also analyzed to gain deeper insight into the operationalization and limitations of feminist foreign policy approaches to suggest a way forward for Pakistan. It was revealed through the findings that while Pakistan has witnessed gradual improvements in women’s political participation and gender-focused policy initiatives, the concept of feminist foreign policy has yet to gain meaningful traction in academic and policy debates. Moreover, it was also argued that, before initiating a debate over the viability of a FFP framework in Pakistan, it is pertinent to build an engaging narrative of acceptance for such a phenomenon and realization of Pakistan’s need to adopt one to portray a soft image of Pakistan globally.