ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 examines the transformed environment facing the contemporary British High Commission arising from the emergence of a large Pakistani Diaspora in Britain and the rise of digital diplomacy. Demands for visas and consular assistance have mushroomed as cheap mass air travel has resulted in around one and a half million Pakistanis and British Pakistanis annually travelling between the two countries. The need to protect British citizens from victimisation arising from forced marriages led to the establishment of the forced marriages cell which coordinates the activities of the Home Office and the High Commission’s consular service. A tiny minority of British Pakistanis were also vulnerable to radicalisation during visits to the homeland. Overwhelmingly the emergence of an increasingly self-confident overseas community has boosted both philanthropy and trade as well as adding a new layer to Britain’s informal ties and networks in Pakistan. These have been further boosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s and High Commission’s adroit use of social media in an age in which Public diplomacy has taken on new forms.
