Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) hosted a distinguished public lecture titled “Pakistan–Indonesia Relations: History, Present and Future” on Monday, 17 November 2025, featuring H.E. Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia, Timor Leste, and ASEAN.

The event brought together students, faculty members, diplomats, and scholars interested in the evolving dynamics of South and Southeast Asia. The session was moderated by Prof. Farish A. Noor, senior lecturer at the UIII Faculty of Social Sciences, who opened the discussion by tracing the deep historical connectivity between the regions.

“This is a process that was interrupted because colonialism divided South Asia,” Prof. Farish said while introducing the topic of discussion. “What used to be the rich connectedness of the Indian Ocean world became fragmented as movement between South and Southeast Asia was regulated and eventually diminished due to competing colonial interests. Yet, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have long been keen observers of Pakistan’s journey—from its earliest days of independence to its political and developmental transformations.”

The event continued with the main agenda, a public lecture by Ambassador Chaudhri who provided a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s historical ties with Indonesia, its foreign policy foundations, and the growing potential for bilateral collaboration in trade, education, agriculture, defense, and technology.

Sharing an anecdote from his diplomatic career, Ambassador Chaudhri highlighted the global achievements of Pakistani scholars and professionals. “Pakistani students and professionals continue to generate a lot of goodwill for Pakistan wherever they go,” he said. He recalled his time in Australia, where several major university research projects were unexpectedly led by Pakistani researchers.

The Ambassador then offered an overview of Pakistan’s national profile. “Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world. We are located in South Asia, and we share borders with China, with Iran, with Afghanistan, and with India,” he explained. “Our foreign policy is one of friendship with all countries, including our neighborhood, but especially the Muslim world.”

He also emphasized the deep historical ties between Pakistan and Indonesia. “These relations predate both the creation of Indonesia and Pakistan. Indonesia came into being in 1945 and Pakistan in 1947, but even before these two countries became independent, the relations existed between the people of these two countries,” he said.

Ambassador Chaudhri also stressed the importance of current bilateral cooperation. “We are strong institutional framework of cooperation between our two countries. We have a preferential arrangement to enhance bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia,” he said.

“The trade between Pakistan and Indonesia has increased by more than 400 percent during the past five years. Currently, we have a volume of more than 4 billion.” He added that the potential remains far greater: “We believe we can increase this to more than 20 billion dollars over the next five years.”

Ambassador Chaudhri also highlighted promising areas of collaboration, including agriculture, halal products, education, IT, tourism, small and medium enterprises, and human resource development.

“Both Pakistan and Indonesia are young nations with vibrant populations. In Pakistan, 64 percent of our population is under the age of 30. This is our greatest national asset, and we look forward to working closely with Indonesia in developing opportunities for our youth,” he affirmed.

Echoing the ambassador’s statement, UIII Rector Prof. Jamhari Makruf highlighted the strong presence and contributions of Pakistani students on campus, noting that they remain one of the most active and vibrant international student groups at UIII.

“At UIII, Pakistani students consistently form one of the largest groups within our international community,” Prof. Jamhari said. “They are among the highest number of applicants each year. We deeply appreciate this trust and look forward to strengthening the educational bridge between Indonesia and Pakistan.”

The event marked an important step in strengthening understanding between Pakistan and Indonesia. By hosting this lecture, UIII reaffirmed its role as a space where global perspectives can be shared and meaningful connections can grow. The discussion highlighted how historical friendship, shared values, and future cooperation continue to bring the two nations closer together.