Casablanca – Pakistan celebrated its 80th Independence Day in Morocco on Friday, with Ambassador Syed Adil Gilani speaking about the country’s independence struggle and its long history of relations with Morocco.
Gilani recalled Pakistan’s creation on August 14, 1947, and the role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in bringing together Muslim leaders during the campaign for a separate country. He also spoke about Pakistan’s support for Morocco during its own struggle for independence.
In particular, he recalled how Pakistan provided Moroccan nationalist leader Ahmed Balafrej with a Pakistani passport after he was prevented from addressing the United Nations Security Council under French rule. Balafrej later became Morocco’s prime minister.
Gilani described Pakistan as a peaceful country and said it had the capability to defend itself and contribute to the wider Muslim world. “We want to play an important role in the development of Morocco to the best of our ability,” he said.
Relations between Rabat and Islamabad have seen several developments this year. In January, Morocco and Pakistan signed a defense cooperation memorandum during Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s visit to Rabat.
The agreement covers military training, joint exercises, cybersecurity, defense industries, military health and exchanges of expertise. On August 6, Gilani also met Morocco’s ambassador-designate to Pakistan, Amine Chabi, with the two discussing coordination between their embassies and ways to advance the bilateral partnership.
Gilani has also said bilateral trade could exceed $1 billion as the two countries work to expand economic ties. The Pakistani embassy has separately held talks with the Rabat Chamber of Commerce on increasing business and trade exchanges and plans for Pakistani business delegations to Morocco.
