New ambassador celebrates Pakistan Day

Nabeel Munir, ambassador of Pakistan to Korea, speaks during a ceremony commemorating Pakistan Day at a hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Embassy of Pakistan in Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The Embassy of Pakistan in Korea held a ceremony commemorating the country's national day ― Pakistan Day ― at a hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.

Nabeel Munir, the newly-designated ambassador of Pakistan to Korea, noted that the event will be the beginning of a series of celebrations to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan this year.

"It was on the historic day of March 23, that Muslims of South Asia, in 1940, adopted a Resolution calling for a separate homeland. This struggle culminated in the creation of Pakistan in 1947," ambassador Munir said.

"On this day, we pay tribute to our great leader Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah under whose dynamic, principled and inspiring leadership, Pakistan was created. Today, we also pay tribute to the struggle and sacrifices of our founding fathers, and pledge to live up to their ideals."

Pakistan is a country located at the crossroads of Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East and has a growing relationship with Korea through various exchanges including human resources.

"While diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Republic of Korea were only established in 1983, contacts between the two peoples date back more than 18 centuries. Buddhism was brought to the ancient Kingdom of Backs by Monk Maranantha in 384 AD," the ambassador said.

"Over the years, Pakistan-Korea relations have grown from strength-to-strength in all fields ― politics, defense, trade and investment, education, science, climate change and the list goes on."

Pakistan also assisted Korea in evacuating Afghan collaborators from Afghanistan, through "Operation Miracle," when Kabul, the Afghan capital, fell under Taliban control last year.

"Korean companies are actively engaged in investment in automotive, power and energy, chemicals and consumer goods sectors in Pakistan. New bilateral initiatives are being taken to further enhance collaboration in tourism, small and medium enterprises and human development," the ambassador added.

Lee Sang-ryol, director-general for Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea, welcomed the new ambassador beginning his assignment here with a grand celebration.

"We have steadily strengthened our bilateral relations in various fields. Most notable is cooperation in the economic field. Korea's investment in Pakistan recently reached over $500 million, with many Korean companies contributing to Pakistan's socio-economic development in the areas of infrastructure building and chemical industry and so forth," Lee said, mentioning the M-2 Motorway connecting Lahore and Islamabad by a Korean construction company, which was the first highway built in South Asia.

Rep. Lee Hack-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, who serves as president of the Korea-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group, showed hopes for more cooperation between the two countries in the future as the guest of honor of the event.

"Based on trust we have built over decades, we must pursue greater exchange and cooperation in all fields, both private and public. As Korea and Pakistan, and indeed the entire world, moves closer to the end of COVID-19, we must move forward especially when the stakes are high," Lee Hack-young said.