National Day of Pakistan – 2025
by Muhammad Arshad Jan, Ambassador of Pakistan to Romania
It was March 23, 1940 at the 27th session of All India Muslim League (AIML) at Manto Park, Lahore when Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his historical address, laid the foundations of a separate homeland for the Muslims of British India. The AIML passed a resolution, named ‘Lahore Resolution’ that, for the first time, demanded independence from British India. That is why March 23rd is considered as the National Day of Pakistan. Similarly, it was the same day in 1956 when Pakistan promulgated its first Constitution and marked the transition from dominion status to become the first Islamic Republic in the world, appointing President as the ceremonial Head of the State and abolished the position of the Governor General. This day holds immense significance in the history of Pakistan as it symbolizes the aspirations and struggles of its people for freedom and sovereignty. More than just a date on the calendar, Pakistan Day represents the embodiment of unity, faith, and discipline, the founding principles upon which the nation was built.
Background
After the 1857 War of Independence, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan advocated that Muslims of British India should focus on their education, particularly on English language. He founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College (MAOC) in 1875 in Aligarh, that transformed into Aligarh University in 1921. MAOC, and its students in coming years, laid the seed of Pakistan. To support the voices and political rights of the Muslims of the sub-continent, All India Muslim League was established in 1906. A lot of political efforts were put in between 1906 – 1937 in terms of meetings of Muslim delegations with the British rulers, debates at the meetings of Indian National Congress (INC) by Mr. Jinnah on protection of Rights of the Muslims, internal meetings of AIML in evolving the political thought process for a separate homeland etc. Jinnah joined the AIML in 1913. Mr. Jinnah, with his astute skill and vision, was able to convince all Muslim leaders to come under one flag of AIML and resolve their internal issues for the larger interest of the only political organizations of the Muslims of that time.
Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar, Maulana Shaukat Ali Johar, A.K.Fazlul Haq, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Zafarullah Khan are some of the prominent leaders of Pakistan Movement. Allama Iqbal, through his poetry and literature invoked the Islamic values, culture, history and political thought in the Muslims of the sub-continent. Iqbal is also acclaimed as the one who dreamt about this separate homeland which he mentioned in his famous Allahbad address of 1930. It was Iqbal’s high intellectual calibre that convinced Jinnah to join AIML and take the baton for the protection of rights of the marginalized community. In 1929, Jinnah put forward his famous 14-Points agenda that gave a comprehensive roadmap for a true democracy and defined future federal structure with complete provincial autonomy and religious liberty for all and in all local legislatures of British India. This political strategy of Jinnah led the Muslims of the sub-continent to participate in 1937 elections on separate electorate system.
Political Movement
AIML was not able to win sufficient seats in 1937 elections to form government in any of the eleven provinces. Hence, Jinnah had to review his political strategy. Jinnah met Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy of India, on March 13, 1940, where he was given assurance that no political settlement would be undertaken without the AIML’s involvement. Within 10 days of the meeting, ‘Lahore Resolution’ was passed where Jinnah declared that no constitutional plan would be acceptable to Muslims unless it was built on the basic premise and principle “that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial adjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in the majority, as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India, should be grouped to constitute ‘independent state’ in which the constituent will be autonomous and sovereign”. He galvanized the AIML altogether into a mass movement that orchestrated the demand for a separate homeland. The Lahore Resolution was in fact a constitutional blueprint that provided features of a federation with creation of autonomous units in such geographical locations where Muslims were in the majority. The strategy also addressed the communal and constitutional conflict of the sub-continent by proposing creation of two independent states. Under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, this dream was realized on August 14, 1947 and Pakistan emerged as an independent State on the world map. The efforts and works by Basic Principles Committee drafted a basic outline of Pakistan’s Constitution in 1949. After several modifications and deliberations, the 1st Constitution of Pakistan was promulgated on 23rd March 1956.
Jinnah – the founder of Pakistan
Jinnah was a true democrat and believed in nationhood based on secular orientation. In his speech at the inaugural session of the Constituent Assembly in August 1947 he said, “Islam and its idealism has taught us democracy. It has taught us equality of men, justice and fair play to everybody. In any case, Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state. You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan.” Jinnah considered democracy as the best system because it does not discriminate on account of religion, gender, race, caste and creed. These were the attributes and character of Jinnah and above all, his role in steering the whole movement of independence, that he was declared as the ‘Father of the Nation’ or ‘Quaid-e-Azam’.
Pakistan Day is celebrated with fervor by Pakistanis around the world. In Islamabad, like in other provincial capitals, the day starts with flag hoisting ceremony by the President of the Islamic Republic followed by official gun salutes, impeccable display of military parade, flying pass and other cultural events and ceremonies. Later in the day, the President of Pakistan confers civil and military awards to its citizens and foreigners who rendered meritorious services for the country. Today, the diaspora attended flag hoisting ceremony at Pakistan Embassy in Bucharest where messages from Pakistani leadership were read out to them.
Pakistan’s Economy Today
In recent years, the global economy demonstrated remarkable resilience, characterized by steady growth as inflation gradually moved towards the target. This journey has been marked by significant events, including supply-chain disruptions in the wake of the pandemic, a Russian-Ukraine conflict leading to a global energy and food crisis, a substantial surge in inflation and oil price shocks due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Furthermore, central banks worldwide synchronized their monetary policy tightening efforts. Despite numerous pessimistic and gloomy forecasts, the global economy capably avoided a recession. The banking system demonstrated reasonable resilience, with major emerging market economies managing to avoid abrupt halts.
Pakistan also experienced global economic shocks. Since 2022, Pakistan’s economy experienced an unsustainable 6.1 percent growth rate driven by domestic demand, leading to high fiscal and current account deficits, and signalled excessive demand and overheating. Additionally, the economy suffered a significant setback due to the catastrophic floods in 2023, which not only obliterated growth prospects but also inflicted extensive damages equivalent to 4.8 percent of GDP.
The economy of Pakistan embarked on a stabilization phase in 2024. Government’s dedicated efforts to complete 2023 Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) yielded significant progress in reinstating economic stability. The newly elected government in Pakistan is putting efforts to leverage this stability by maintaining robust macroeconomic policies and implementing structural reforms to achieve stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable growth. All chronic systemic issues inflicting various sectors of the economy that have hampered progress and prosperity in the past are on the operating table for permanent resolution. External account vulnerability and fiscal mismanagement, having a direct bearing on inflation, are at the core of corrective policy actions. On the other hand, Pakistan government has renewed its focus on high potential sectors like IT, SMEs, mines and minerals, tourism, exports and agriculture.
The economy of Pakistan performed well in the past year with real GDP growth of 3 percent. The prudent policy management and the resumption of inflows from multilateral and bilateral partners, and the gradual economic recovery in the major trading partners, turned the negative growth in 2023 to positive growth in 2024. The robust growth in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, the highest in last 19 years emerged as the key driver of economic growth in 2024. The saving to GDP ratio recorded at 13 percent, industrial sector growth of 1.21 percent, manufacturing sector 2.42 percent and construction sector with 5.86 percent. Services sector constituted the largest share of 57.7 percent in GDP during 2024. These achievements reflect Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to foster economic growth, enhance infrastructure, strengthen defence capabilities, promote cultural heritage, and address environmental challenges.
Pakistan – Romania Bilateral Relations
Romania and Pakistan share friendly and cooperative relationship rooted in mutual respect, diplomacy and shared interests. Both the countries established diplomatic relations on October 15, 1964 and ever since are supporting each other’s candidatures at UN platform. On October 15, 2024 the two countries celebrated 60 years of establishment of diplomatic ties and to commemorate this occasion, a joint logo was issued, which shall be used in their official communication throughout the year.
Political Relations
Pakistan and Romania have historic relations and both countries desire to deepen this relationship in diverse areas. The strength of these relations lies in the broad spectrum of cooperation as is evident from the framework agreements/ MoUs signed between the two sides covering full spectrum of relations. Pakistan considers Romania as an important country in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region that has significant role in ensuring stability and peace for the entire neighbourhood.
Strong bilateral framework agreements are in place between Pakistan and Romania including Bilateral Political Consultations and Joint Working Group on Trade. Defence cooperation is robust and is based on regular interaction and visits at leadership level from both sides. It is expected that new sessions of these frameworks shall take place during the current year.
Both countries also have strong history of mutual support to each other at the times of need. Whether it was the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan or severe floods of 2020 in Romania, whether it was the assistance provided by Pakistan in repatriation of Romanian citizens from Afghanistan in 2021 or support by Romania to evacuate stranded Pakistani students from Ukraine in 2022, both Pakistan and Romania have stood shoulder to shoulder to help each other in crises.
After the recent parliamentary elections in Romania, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister and Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan sent felicitation letters to their Romanian counterparts and invited them to visit Pakistan at their early convenience. It is expected that the visits shall materialize during 2025.
Trade & Economic Relations
Trade volume between Pakistan and Romania does not represent its true potential. The trading items of both countries, each year, remain usually the same. Pakistan’s top imports from Romania are cereals, oil seeds, oleaginous fruits, mineral fuels, wood, boilers and machinery. Pakistan’s export to Romania are manmade staples fibers, textile articles, products of animal origin, furniture, lighting signs, prefabricated buildings, cotton, cereals and articles of apparel etc. Pakistan is interested to benefit from Romanian expertise in automobile industry, petrochemicals, textiles, food and beverages, mining and food processing sectors. Similarly, there is immense potential for Romania to gain from Pakistan’s experience in agro technology, information technology, healthcare & medical equipment and food processing industry. Although the volume of bilateral trade is low, there is still a lot of potential for business sectors of both countries to explore complementarities between their respective markets and work on win-win solutions.
The Government of Pakistan is keen on enhancing bilateral economic and trade relations with Romania. There is huge scope of cooperation between Pakistan and Romania in energy sector especially in renewable, nuclear, LNG and in smart grids systems. The cooperation is mutually beneficial and can address energy issues in both countries including growing energy demand, high cost of production and objective transition towards a secure and sustained energy future. Both countries can also learn from each other in policy planning and investment strategies in energy sector.
In coordination with major chambers of commerce and industry of Romania, visits of trade delegations from both sides are being planned. These exchanges will help in promoting contacts between Pakistan and Romanian business sectors. Various investment opportunities are available in Pakistan particularly in the Special Economic Zones developed alongside the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) where Romanian companies are welcome to benefit from attractive policies.
Cultural relations
Pakistan and Romania enjoy strong cultural bonds. To celebrate 40 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Romania, in 2004, in the heart of capital city of Islamabad, the government of Pakistan, with support of Romanian Embassy, constructed a monument to commemorate national poets of both countries, Allama Iqbal and Mihai Eminescu. The 20-foot high monument, developed by renowned Pakistani artist is made of granite, bronze and white marble. It has effigies of both the poets. In 2005, Pakistan Post issued special commemorative stamps featuring the monument, the portraits of Iqbal and Eminescu and flags of both countries titled ‘Dialogue between Civilizations’. Former Romanian Ambassador to Pakistan Prof. Dr. Emil Ghitulescu published three books, during his time in Islamabad, about the common message of Iqbal and Eminescu.
Through bilateral agreements between various universities in both the countries, a number of scholarships are offered annually in undergraduate, masters and doctorate programs to interested students. There are proposals, under consideration, to establish sister-city relationship between major cities of Romania and Pakistan. The Embassy of Pakistan in Bucharest is set to organize ‘Pakistan Cultural Week 2025’ in August this year to celebrate Independence Day of Pakistan and to commemorate 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The event shall be followed by a musical concert, fashion show, painting and handicraft exhibition etc.
Tourism offers tremendous opportunities for cooperation between the two countries. For Romanians, Pakistan offers a lot many touristic opportunities. Pakistan’s landscape features remarkable diversity and an unparalleled beauty with some of the highest mountain ranges, rugged plateau, extensive deserts and lush plains, large rivers, lakes and the sea. The variety of the topography is matched by the variance in climatic conditions and fauna and flora. A road-show in Bucharest, highlighting attractive tourist places in Pakistan is planned to be held during 2025. Pakistani visas for Romanian citizens can now be applied online under ‘Visa on Arrival’ category and the visa is issued within 48 hours.
There are projects for fusion of traditional Pakistani and Romanian music. The devotional form of music most commonly founded in the Sufi Culture in Pakistan. Sufi Music has been originated from the inspirational work of Sufi Poets like Rumi, Bulleh Shah and others. Sufism has an exceptional, official role as one of the most important genres of music in Pakistan. The purpose is get the artist and audience closer to God. It has many forms like Qawwali and Ghazal. Other proposals to establish linkages in arts, music and calligraphy are also under consideration.
Labor Market
In recent years, a large number of Romanian companies got engaged in hiring Pakistani workforce in sectors including construction, warehousing, service industry and ports and shipping. Pakistan is in the process of streamlining the recruitment procedures at home so that right candidates are selected for the right jobs in Romania. The Technical, Educational & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NVTTC) are the public institutions of Pakistan that are offering various courses in over 300 fields to develop skilled and semi-skilled workforce. The certified and trained labours that graduate from these institutions can fill the gap of workforce shortage in Romania. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in this regard, is in final stages of negotiations and is expected to be signed in coming months.
Future Outlook
The future of Pakistan-Romania relations is promising. By focusing on economic cooperation, political interaction and cultural exchanges, Pakistan and Romania can revive the warmth in the relations. While the potential in Pakistan-Romania relations is immense, there are several challenges that need to be addressed. The potential, along with realistic short and medium term goals are at hand.
There is a need to reinvigorate high level visits between the two countries. It is expected that during 2025 high-level meetings, dialogue and interaction at intergovernmental commissions would enhance diplomatic engagement. Similarly, parliamentary diplomacy shall be activated and bilateral friendship groups in respective parliaments are being proposed to have regular interaction at various international parliamentary events.
On cultural side, twinning of city proposals between major cities of both countries shall further strengthen cultural bonds and people to people contacts. To foster mutual understanding, both countries shall promote language learning and cultural exchanges, such as art exhibitions and music festivals. Pakistani traditional music, particularly qawwali, shall be introduced at music universities and theatres of Romania. Similarly, Romanian performing arts and culture will have performances in Pakistan in coming months. Romania’s scenic landscapes and heritage sites, combined with Pakistan’s rich cultural diversity, offer significant opportunities to boost tourism through better marketing and travel packages.
The current trade volume between the two countries remains low if compared to its potential. Awareness campaign is scheduled, on both sides, to offer market opportunities and products that could be mutually beneficial. As a solution, a bespoke study on bilateral complementarities and identifying niche products of both countries is underway at the Pakistan Embassy in Romania. The report shall be a trade and investment guide for business sectors of both countries. Moreover, trade promotion activities, such as business expos, bilateral trade agreements and joint chambers of commerce, shall help increase the volume and diversity of traded goods with Romania.
In the end, the Embassy of Pakistan would also like to thank the wonderful people of Romania who have shown their warmth, love and affection for Pakistan. It is hoped that 2025 shall prove to be a successful year in furthering relations between Pakistan and Romania.
Long Live Pakistan-Romania Friendship.
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