The roadmap to democracy as charted by President General Pervez Musharraf was assiduously adhered to, and on October 10, 2002, the elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies were held. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali took oath of office as the 20^th Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The strengthening of the democratic institutions, the assurances to the citizens that their lot would change for the better, and the guarantees to foreign countries, people, and media that the nation is truly in a democratic direction needs to be focussed and highlighted. This requires concerted actions on the part of the government to bring this thru a realistic approach. What then can and should be done to display to the world that the country is indeed in the democratic mode.

• His image should be of a "fatherly" figure, portraying him as benevolent, non-controversial, and man of the people.
• He should continue to wear his traditional shalwar-kameez and waistcoat dress and should maintain his conversations in his soft voice.
• He should continue to meet the people in the same convivial manner that he displayed on TV when he was meeting people during his campaign for the office of the Prime Minister.
• He should come once a month on TV in the style of the "Fireside Chat" radio program in the 1940s in USA when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt galvanized Americans during World War II thru his motivational speeches and instilled a sense of security and understanding.
• He should ensure that the Leader of the Opposition is granted all courtesy and he must make it a point to visit the Opposition Leader's Chamber in the Assembly often and this should be publicized.
• He should make sure that when the Opposition criticizes him or the government's policies, the reaction should come from a designated spokesman rather than everybody getting into the chorus and coming up with statements in the press.
• He should hold public kutcheries initially atleast once a month in different cities so that the citizens could present their grievances and problems and, if possible, on spot decisions be taken and then ensured that decisions are implemented.
• He should invite about 100 citizens (mostly low income) from all over Pakistan once a quarter at government expenses, to have lunch and exchange of views at the PM residence.
• He should be portrayed more as a statesman rather than a politician representing a breakaway faction of a major political party.

• He should be portrayed in press and electronic media as the man without the army uniform as this would also convey to all that it is a civilian government. He should always wear civilian clothes when presiding over meetings, attending functions, or travelling. The uniform should be sported when attending to professional duties or activities.
• He should continue to speak on accountability, transparency, and should be seen talking about the welfare of the citizens.
• He should take up every year one major project as his "pet project" and give it his personal attention and should ensure its initiation, implementation, and completion. For example, he could set up a major health facility in a smaller town, say in NWFP, and he could use the power of his office and his personal persuasion to solicit funds from all over the country. This would be a motivational effort and bring prosperity in designated areas. Since this endeavor would not be part of the Federal Budget's development projects, there would not be any political fall-outs.
• He should devote his energies in using his personal dynamism to improve the lot of the people and to bring about harmony in the country.
• He should ensure that sincere synergy is evident between the Presidency and the Prime Minister's Secretariat.
• He should continue to be the torchbearer of the slogan "Pakistan First" and this message should become an everyday sentiment all over the country.
• He should continue to assure the people that the country is strong and the armed forces are vigilant and capable of defending the borders and the ideology of the country.

• The Prime Minister should refrain from announcing any populist measures or schemes that are riddled with loopholes. Beware of good schemes being misused, such as the erstwhile Yellow Cab Scheme.
• The Prime Minister should not hurry in declaring Friday as the weekly holiday although this would earn him points with MMA. However, this would hurt the export drive for obvious reasons.
• The Prime Minister should not surround himself with those that are under investigations or have been in the past three years. This is essential if he has to keep himself reserved from making these controversial appointments.

• There is an imperative need to bring about a fundamental change in which the country's image is being projected externally. In the last few years, Pakistan has been on the receiving end of this negative propaganda and this has taken a serious toll on the country's global image. It should be noted that this has taken a turn for the worse after 9/11 as is apparent from a number of events that have taken place all across the world. Somehow, either the name Pakistan is mentioned or there is some covert or open link to the country. Whether it is France, Indonesia, Bangladesh, or next door neighbor, everywhere the country gets its unwanted negative fallout.
• The image-makers and the spin-doctors in the government have been unable to counter this propaganda, and in the process the nation's image has been ruthlessly tarnished. The image planners are not quite fit for the job and there is ample evidence of amateurism and ham-fisted approach. Precious money is squandered away in trying to win positive points thru those that do not deliver or are not competent to produce desired results.
• It is thus proposed that a high-powered committee called the Committee for Promotion of Ideology of Pakistan (COMPIP) be set up consisting of professionals who are qualified and experienced and can deliver thru the utilization of cutting edge technology. The funds for this project should be substantial and should be available on a priority basis to this committee. This committee should be given the task to prepare pubic relation strategies, to pinpoint areas thru where these concepts would be projected, and to decide on the optimum use of funds to attain the desired objectives. The committee should consist of the following:

• Mahmood Nanji (Tapal Tea) Chairman of COMPIP
• Seema Tahir Khan (Interflow)
• Masood Hashmi (Orient Advertising)
• Tanaz Minwala (Creative Unit)
• Zia-ul-Islam Zuberi (Siemens)
• Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information
• Joint Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance
• Secretary of the Committee

• There is a constant outburst of propaganda against the country. So much so, that if there is a disaster anywhere in the world, Pakistanys are the first to get arrested. Take the Bali incident or the Mombassa bombing. The COMPIP must be ready with a counter-offensive on an immediate basis so that the "perceived" acts of a few do not reflect on the whole country.
• There is a need to have an interactive and a constantly updated official website on Pakistan. This should not only highlight the country's achievements but also present "favorable" views/opinion/essays on the country or the people by foreigners. Up-to-date information on the country should always be available on the website.
• COMPIP must chalk out a program to invite well known journalists and reporters from foreign newspapers to visit Pakistan at government expenses so that they could see the progressive and vibrant country. This should be an on-going process and this would create much needed goodwill. However, it must be noted that only media men from important and famous publications be invited because the tendency is for the Pakistany diplomats to generally cultivate friendships with second and third string reporters in their country of posting. Even in Pakistan, diplomatic functions are filled with media men from low-circulation newspapers.
• The Pakistany Passport must undergo a fundamental change on an immediate basis. The green cover must be in a lighter tone, the passport should not be from right to left but like the universally used left to right, and the information in it must be in typed form rather than the mostly illegible mode used at present.
• COMPIP must develop a database containing the email addresses of atleast half a million Pakistanys and non-Pakistanys who are pro-Pakistan. Whenever any internet website or whether any newspaper or electronic media present any matters that are anti-Pakistan, then this database entries could be mobilized into action and they would be requested to send hard-hitting emails to the anti-Pakistan elements. Samples of emails could be sent to all on the database. This would be an effective tool in countering anti-Pakistan rhetoric or propaganda.

• President Musharraf has made the PAKISTAN FIRST slogan a rallying point. However, it has really not caught on with the intense zeal, fervor, and enthusiasm that were probably envisaged. There is a need to make it a truly patriotic slogan.
• It is proposed that COMPIP should hold a competition to develop a logo of PAKISTAN FIRST. This logo and slogan then would be used everywhere that is required to motivate the citizens.
• Every government organization and state-owned enterprise must have this slogan in a conspicuous position on their letterheads, invoices, and advertisements. This would give this slogan much needed publicity.
• Every embassy, high commission, consulate, and offices in foreign countries would have this logo prominently displayed within their environment and also on their correspondences.
• The above organizations, diplomatic places, and offices, would also have this slogan on their websites and as signatures in their emails.
• The private sector must also voluntarily play its part and must emulate the actions by and directions given to the official organizations. At the same time, educational institutions must also orient and inculcate this patriotic feeling among the students.
• The electronic media could play a formidable role in projecting this slogan and logo and the services of poets, writers, and artists must be channelized towards this objective.

• The prayer and hope is that the people who are at the helm of the affairs are sincerely devoted to alleviating the miseries of the people, are sincerely determined to be honest, judicious, and caring, and are sincerely dedicated to making this nation the greatest country in the world. After all PAKISTAN FIRST!
• Nahin na umeed Iqbal apni kishte viran se