Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia, Ameer Khurram Rathore, to the reporters said that relations between Indonesia and Pakistan existed even before they became independent. Ameer said that in the 1940s Muhammad Ali Jinnah invited Muslims to join in the struggle for Indonesian independence.
"He (Ali Jinnah)instructed the Muslims who were here in those day's Malaysia to fight with Indonesians in their immigration strike," said Ameer.
Ameer said Indonesia and Pakistan have many similarities, however, people-to-people contact is the most important thing in relations between the two countries. Ameer even called this the strongest bond in their relationship.
"when you are asking about the relation between two countries, the most important thing is how the people of these two countries feel about each other. That's what we call it people-to-people contact, people-to-people relations. That is the most important, most strong bond between the two, and that is the bond that is still the strongest between Indonesia and Pakistan," he continued.
Ameer added that the focus of relations between Indonesia and Pakistan continues to develop. If in the past both countries focused on political relations, now they both focus on trade.
"We have a fairly good numbers of the [trade] amount, that we trade each other," he said.
Pakistan Day, celebrated every March 23, commemorates the Lahore Resolution in 1940 which led to the founding of Pakistan. The date also commemorates the adoption of Pakistan's first Constitution in March 1956. The adoption occurred during the transition from a British dominion to an Islamic republic, making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic.
