Foreign Office’s new website ‘VisionFO’ launched

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has launched Foreign Office’s new website – ‘VisionFO’ – to promote a macro vision, digital landscape and transparent way of communications.

The foreign minister said the first manifestation of the vision is the launch of the new website with a series of more innovations to follow. He said the new dynamic website will craft an environment of thought of leadership at Ministry of Foreign Affairs/

“#VisionFO is a mindset to craft an environment of thought leadership at #MoFA, to promote a macro vision, digital landscape and an evolved/transparent way of comms. The 1st manifestation of the vision is the launch of the new website with a series of more innovations to follow,” said the foreign minister in a statement on micro-blogging site Twitter.

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The foreign minister added that he is pleased to launch the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs website as part of the VisionFO, taking the Foreign Office into the 21st century.  He said the website is now accessible in Pakistan and globally within a fortnight.

“Pleased to launch the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs website today as part of #VisionFO, taking the FO into the 21st century and to the heart of digital communications. It is now accessible in Pakistan at http://mofa.gov.pk and globally, in a fortnight,” he stated.

#VisionFO is a mindset to craft an environment of thought leadership at #MoFA, to promote a macro vision, digital landscape and an evolved/transparent way of comms. The 1st manifestation of the vision is the launch of the new website with a series of more innovations to follow. https://t.co/1T7CK9D40X

— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) December 6, 2019

Qureshi further said at a new cell phone application ‘FM Connect’ was being launched to involve all officers of the ministry in policy making consultations to enable them to express their views independently without any restriction.

He said Pakistani missions in world capitals were also being linked with the headquarters through video link, adding that e-office system was also being introduced at the FO.

Earlier in October, the Foreign Office has issued a statement denying the use of public funds to design a new website for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating it is being personally paid by the foreign minister.

“There is no government/public funding involved in the design cost. The foreign minister is personally paying the design cost as a token of his appreciation and commitment to the Foreign Office and its personnel,” said a statement by the Foreign Office.

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The foreign minister announced that the new web design for which he would personally bear the cost would be his “gift to the ministry and its officers.” 

The statement clarified that the information contained in the website is not classified, as it is for the facilitation of the general public. Therefore, there is no question of security being compromised in any event as the website redesign team is simply graphically redesigning the site based on publicly available content on the existing website.

The new layout of the publicly open website is being designed by a reputed web designing company, which was assigned the task on a purely professional basis in view of the requirement for specialised external design expertise.