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ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (APP): The Consortium for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) on Wednesday successfully hosted the Joint Independence Day celebration of Pakistan and Indonesia here at the CAPS office.
The event brought together representatives from the Indonesian embassy and CAPS team to foster mutual understanding and explore collaborative opportunities in people-to-people and cultural linkages, said a press release.
Moderated by Sharjeel Siddiqui, a researcher at CAPS, the opening session began with a welcome speech from Dr. Khuram Iqbal, President of CAPS. He congratulated both nations on their Independence Days and highlighted the shared struggles, values, and aspirations connecting Pakistan and Indonesia.
He underlined the importance of celebrating these milestones as a chance to reflect on their historical ties and renew commitments to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Dr. Khuram also emphasized CAPS’s commitment to promoting people-to-people connections, cultural exchanges, and collaborative projects between Pakistan and Asia-Pacific countries. He noted that such celebrations foster mutual goodwill and open new opportunities for partnership.
Speaking on the occasion, Rahmat Hindiarta Kusuma, Coordinator of Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy, emphasized the historical and religious ties between Pakistan and Indonesia. He noted that both are among the world’s largest Muslim-majority countries, but still have limited mutual awareness.
He highlighted Indonesia’s status as a well-known global tourist destination and the increasing trend of Indonesian visitors coming to Pakistan for religious and cultural reasons, including Sufi pilgrimages.
Sharing his personal experience, he said he was overwhelmed by the country’s hospitality and natural beauty firsthand. He stressed the importance of strengthening people-to-people (P2P), and business-to-business (B2B), relations, suggesting more frequent interactions, including arranging meetings during official visits.
Mr. Kusuma announced that a Pakistan-Indonesia business event will take place this October in Jakarta, emphasizing that Pakistan is a blessed country with many opportunities. He encouraged Pakistani entrepreneurs by saying, “if you are business people, you should not wait for facilities to come to indonesia for opportunities.”
This event continued with a joint cake cutting ceremony led by the President of CAPS and the Coordinator of Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy.
The event then moved on to joint singing performances performed by the CAPS Team and Indonesian Interns at CAPS. At the end of the event, Indonesian and Pakistani cuisines were served to participants.