On 7 August 2025, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the ASEAN Committee in Islamabad (ACI), commemorated the 58th ASEAN Day with a special Roundtable titled “Pakistan and ASEAN: Partners in Peace, Progress, and Regional Prosperity.”
The event brought together the Heads of Mission of ASEAN member states in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners posted in ASEAN capitals, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Roundtable was graced by Chief Guest Ambassador Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia Pacific), with Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General ISSI, delivering welcome remarks.
Representing Malaysia, H.E. Dato’ Mohammad Azhar Bin Mazlan, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Pakistan, joined fellow ASEAN colleagues in underlining the significance of ASEAN as a pillar of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Ambassador Azhar highlighted Malaysia’s steadfast commitment to ASEAN’s centrality and unity, recalling Malaysia’s role as a founding member of ASEAN and its continued contributions to strengthening the regional architecture. He emphasized that ASEAN remains a cornerstone of Malaysia’s foreign policy, particularly in the pursuit of shared growth, inclusive development, and regional integration.
Ambassador Azhar also reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for Pakistan’s engagement with ASEAN, noting that the growing partnership has the potential to deliver tangible benefits for people across both regions. He underlined that Malaysia values Pakistan as an important partner in promoting connectivity, trade, and people-to-people exchanges, particularly in areas such as digital economy, sustainable development, education, tourism, and halal industry collaboration. The High Commissioner further stressed that enhancing ASEAN-Pakistan cooperation aligns with Malaysia’s broader vision of advancing peace, progress, and prosperity through regional partnerships.
During the Roundtable, ASEAN Heads of Missions, including those of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar (as ACI Chair), shared perspectives on advancing collaboration with Pakistan in political, economic, security, and socio-cultural spheres. They welcomed the progress under the ASEAN-Pakistan Practical Cooperation Areas (2024–2028) and underscored the importance of institutional linkages, high-level exchanges, and private sector engagement to further strengthen cooperation.
Malaysia also joined its ASEAN colleagues in reaffirming support for ASEAN Vision 2045, which charts the bloc’s long-term roadmap for resilience, unity, and global relevance. Ambassador Azhar highlighted that Malaysia views ASEAN not only as a platform for regional stability but also as a driver of global economic dynamism, with ASEAN’s combined GDP already exceeding USD 4.2 trillion.
The commemoration also featured a special video message from H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, who acknowledged Pakistan’s longstanding role as ASEAN’s first Sectoral Dialogue Partner and expressed support for deepening cooperation under the Practical Cooperation framework.
The event concluded with the symbolic ASEAN Day handshake and the cutting of the ASEAN Day cake, marking ASEAN’s 58th anniversary. For Malaysia, the occasion underscored both its leadership role within ASEAN and its commitment to further advancing ASEAN-Pakistan ties, in line with the collective aspiration for peace, progress, and regional prosperity.
