JAKARTA, 25 November 2025 – Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to ASEAN, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, today presented his Letter of Credence (LOC) to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
Secretary-General Dr. Kao congratulated Ambassador Chaudhri on his assumption of office as Ambassador of Pakistan to ASEAN and looked forward to working closely with him in further strengthening the ASEAN-Pakistan Sectoral Dialogue Partnership. He also commended Pakistan for its active participation in ASEAN-led mechanism such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and encouraged Pakistan to promote its engagement with ASEAN through the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
Ambassador Chaudhri recognised the important role of ASEAN in promoting peace, stability and security in the region and expressed his readiness to work closely with ASEAN to strengthen Pakistan’s relations and cooperation with ASEAN and the ASEAN Member States. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN across diverse areas including political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people contacts.
Pakistan acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2004 and subsequently accredited its first Ambassador to ASEAN in 2010. Ambassador Chaudhri succeeds Ambassador Ameer Khurram Rathore, who completed his tenure in February 2025. The ASEAN Committee in Islamabad, established in 1997, continued to serve as a platform for promoting ASEAN’s relations and cooperation with Pakistan in the host country.