Jordan-Pakistan ties built on shared sense of history, perceptions — diplomat

AMMAN — Relations between Jordan and Pakistan have historically been very special in character and have grown in a climate of trust that both sides continue to value, according to Ahsan Azhar Hayat, the Pakistani ambassador to the Kingdom.

“These relations are characterised by a shared sense of history and perceptions on important regional and international issues. Pakistan and Jordan share pragmatism in approaches to international and regional situations, and their solution," Hayat told The Jordan Times in an interview on the occasion of his country's national day. 

"The imprint of this cooperative relationship transcends down to the social and cultural fields,” he added.

The people and governments of both countries have been very helpful to each other during times of need, the ambassador said, citing Jordan's relief assistance to Pakistan during the 2005 earthquake and floods of 2010 and 2011.

Similarly “in 2013, Pakistan also provided assistance to Jordan for dealing with the issues of hosting Syrian refugees.”

Noting that current trade volume between the two countries stands at around $62 million, Hayat said “there is a need to revitalise our economic and trade relations.”

The envoy explained that the potential is huge considering the fact that both countries are members of the G-11 group and are focusing all energies to further diversify and increase their export range.

G-11 is a forum of developing countries created to ease their debt burdens so that they can instead focus financial resources on increasing internal wealth development. 

The G-11 was formed in 2006 and the idea was originally conceived by His Majesty King Abdullah. The G-11 member countries are Jordan, Croatia, Ecuador, Salvador, Georgia, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay and Sri Lanka.

Jordanian-Pakistani economic relations are governed by a joint ministerial commission, which was formed in 1975. 

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for next month, according to Hayat.

The envoy said there are around seven Pakistani industrial units working in the Duleil free zone. 

Moreover, a few other Pakistani businessmen are bringing large investments to the Kingdom in the form of cement factories and a hospital. “We are also in process of signing MoUs [memoranda of understanding] in the field of investment and trade with the Jordan Investment Commission,” the ambassador added.

In the field of cultural and technical cooperation, both sides continue to support each other’s endeavours, he said.

Pakistan provides around 30-35 scholarships for Jordanian students annually, while Jordan offers nine scholarships for Pakistani students. 

A large number of Jordanians have graduated from Pakistani learning institutes since the 1970s and have formed the "Pakistan Graduates Club", Hayat said. 

Similarly, the "Pakistan-Jordan Friendship Association" was established in 2006 and its members are former generals or diplomats who have served in Pakistan as ambassadors and defence attaches. 

“Both organisations are playing a vital role in further strengthening our cultural ties by regularly holding functions and gatherings,” the envoy added, noting that every year many diplomats from Pakistan come to Jordan to learn Arabic.

The ambassador also touched on his country's role in its fight against terrorism.

“We are totally committed to eradicate this menace from Pakistan and have already lost more than 50,000 people in last decade alone because of it. However, our resolve is ever-the-more increased now that we have launched the third and final phase of our fight,” he said. 

“The biggest challenge in this kind of fight is that these terrorists are faceless people, unfortunately using the name of our beautiful religion Islam to serve their goals. This challenge has to be tackled by not only Pakistan or this region but by [the] Muslim Ummah [nation] as a whole.”

“Defence relations have remained a hallmark of our relations,” Hayat said, adding that Pakistani and Jordanian government officials not only attend courses in each other's countries but also participate in joint exercises and serve on assignments for one to two years.

Pakistan also purchases defence equipment from Jordan, according to the diplomat.

In addition to a number of Pakistani businessmen and persons serving in multinational organisations, an estimated Pakistani farming community of 10,000 lives in the Jordan Valley, according to Hayat. 

“They came in the 1960s as a result of Jordan's decision to upgrade its agriculture in the East Bank and since then have been instrumental in developing the agricultural sector of Jordan,” he said.