Pakistan Day 2021: Long live Pakistan-Jordan friendship

March 23 is an important landmark in the history of Pakistan. It was on this day in 1940 when the historic Lahore Resolution was passed which united the Muslims of the sub-continent for a greater objective. The Muslims of the subcontinent through their collective will expressed unwavering resolve to carve out a separate homeland for themselves wherein they could lead their lives in accordance with their own religion, traditions, values and culture. Today, we also pay homage to the Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Poet of the East Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal and all the other great leaders of the freedom movement who paved the way for the creation of Pakistan.

Pakistan Day 2021 is being commemorated in very turbulent times when the world is facing the coronavirus pandemic. Very rarely a calamity has such a worldwide impact as we are witnessing today. Nations have to go through difficult times but only with unity we will sail through. We stand united with the brotherly people of Jordan to navigate through this calamity.

Pakistan commends the efforts of the Kingdom led by His Majesty King Abdullah to ensure stability, peace and security in the Middle Eastern region. His Majesty has always remained a true leader for the people of Jordan as well as the Muslim Ummah. His policies both at internal and external fronts are highly appreciated by both the locals and the international community. We appreciate the importance of His Majesty’s statements and proposals in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which call for better global integration through reglobalisation, especially with regard to food security and vaccine delivery.

Pakistan’s relations with Jordan have historically been very special in character and nurtured in a climate of trust that both sides continue to value. These relations are characterised by a shared sense of history and common perceptions on important regional and international issues.  The two countries have stood together in times of need. In the current scenario, Pakistan and Jordan share pragmatism in approaches to international and regional situations and their solutions. The imprint of these relations transcends to the social and cultural fabric of the two societies. We both share the common vision of having a peaceful, progressive and prosperous neighbourhood.

Pakistan supports Jordan’s earnest and unswerving stance on the two-state solution of the Palestine issue. The Palestine issue is close to the heart of every Pakistani. Pakistan favours a comprehensive resolution of all outstanding Arab-Israeli disputes for lasting peace in the region. Similarly, Pakistan greatly values the support extended by Jordan to Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute in multilateral fora.

Defence cooperation continues to be the backbone of our relations. The two countries have always stood together in times of need. Pakistan’s support to the Hashemite Kingdom during the second Arab-Israel war and Jordan’s support to Pakistan in the 1971 war forms the base on which bilateral defence relationship rests to this day.

Based on these strong foundations, our bilateral defence relations have grown from strength to strength. Their present scope is characterised by a strong mutual trust and reliability. Frequency of senior level exchanges, robust training collaboration and wide ranging technical and operational cooperation mark the swath of our defence relations.

Pakistan-Jordan economic relations are governed by the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), which was formed in 1975. This platform is extremely important in that it helps both sides to take stock of existing trade relations in a detailed manner and propose new projects.

Our economic relations have remained very stable despite all the odds in the region as well as in the world. Pakistan considers Jordan as one of the important economic partners in the region. To further expand and deepen our economic ties, Pakistan established its first Trade & Investment Section in the Embassy in early 2020. There is great potential for promoting trade and people to people exchanges between Pakistan and Jordan. Most of the embassy’s endeavours are geared to achieve these goals.

Another major contribution of Pakistan in Jordan is by around 15,000 strong Pakistani diaspora. Most of these Pakistanis are working in the agriculture sector of Jordan. These people came to Jordan in late 1960s and early 1970s and continue to cultivate lands in the Jordan Valley. They helped build the Jordanian agricultural sector from scratch and have contributed significantly in its development thereof.

We are confident that through our joint efforts our fraternal ties and cooperative relations will acquire further depth in the years to come, to the mutual benefit of our two peoples and regional peace and prosperity.

Pakistan-Jordan relations zindabad.

The writer is chargé d'affaires at the Pakistani embassy in Jordan