The events were held to mark the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (August 8, 1967 – 2025).

The commemorative program spanned the first two weeks of August. On the opening day, the Embassy co-hosted with the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) a roundtable discussion on the theme of Pakistan and ASEAN as partners in peace, progress, and regional prosperity

The event brought together ASEAN heads of mission in Islamabad along with a large number of Pakistani officials, scholars, and media representatives. Also attending, in person or online, were Pakistan’s ambassadors to ASEAN member states and a representative from the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In his keynote remarks, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia–Pacific), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, hailed ASEAN’s achievements over 58 years of formation and development. He voiced support for ASEAN’s common vision of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” and highlighted the potential to expand cooperation between Pakistan and ASEAN in trade, economic, political, security, and socio-cultural fields, building on shared heritage, namely the Gandhara civilization and Islamic culture.

Sohail Mahmood, Director General of ISSI, also underlined the robust growth of the Pakistan–ASEAN partnership in recent years, noting a remarkable 23% increase in trade in 2024, reaching over US$ 11 billion, the highest level ever. He also pointed to new cooperation opportunities through key projects under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Anh Tuan stressed that Vietnam’s active and proactive engagement in ASEAN activities has played an important role in building a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous ASEAN Community. He noted that the ACI in Pakistan, comprising Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, and Myanmar, maintains close and regular ties with relevant Pakistani authorities, academia, and business chambers to exchange information and share proposals, particularly in key areas such as trade, investment, climate change, and environmental protection, with a view to boosting relations and cooperation between ASEAN and Pakistan.

On the second day of the program, the 58th ASEAN Day celebration was held at Serena Hotel in Islamabad. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, attended as the chief guest. The event was chaired by Myanmar Ambassador to Pakistan Wunna Han, the current ACI Chair.

Opening the celebration, Minister Khichi described ASEAN as “a shining example of regional transformation” and a source of inspiration for developing nations. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening its ties with ASEAN as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner since 1993 under its “East Asia Vision” policy, and underscored Pakistan’s strengths in digital innovation, agriculture, climate resilience, public health, poverty reduction, and gender equality.

He also praised the Pakistani diaspora in ASEAN countries for fostering people-to-people exchanges and expressed optimism about Pakistan’s prospects of upgrading to full Dialogue Partner status with ASEAN.

Ambassador Wunna Han recognized Pakistan as “ASEAN’s first and longest-standing Sectoral Dialogue Partner in the region.” Within the framework of the Sectoral Dialogue Partnership (SDP), ASEAN and Pakistan have been implementing the 2024–2028 Practical Cooperation Areas (PCA) program, comprising 31 initiatives across all three main pillars, with nearly 30% already under way. These include cooperation in cultural exchanges, sharing pandemic response experiences, and poverty eradication. Potential new areas of cooperation include tourism, climate change response, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity.

At the celebration, ASEAN member states showcased cultural and culinary corners to present distinctive cultural images and signature traditional dishes from each member state. A fashion show by ASEAN and Pakistani designers, co-organized by the Vietnamese Embassy and Pakistan’s Niftysphere Academy of Arts, was a special highlight, vividly portraying a dynamic, vibrant ASEAN, united in diversity, reinforcing friendship and solidarity with all nations, including Pakistan.

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