Partnerships: Wadaiko drums from Sialkot go to Japanese school

Pakistan-Japan Friendship Forum launched to strengthen bilateral ties

Music is said to be a global language, so what better way to foster better relationships with the international community than manufacturing beats of another culture, in our country. Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Takashi Kurai recently paid glowing tributes to former minister of the Punjab government Ghulam Abbas, for his dedication in promoting Pakistan-Japan relations and thanked him for donating Japanese Wadaiko drums to Islamabad Japanese School which were made in Sialkot. This set the background music for Pakistan-Japan Friendship Forum, the inaugural ceremony of which took place at Ambassador Kurai’s residence.

To promote cultural relations and to further strengthen people-to-people contacts between Japan and Pakistan, Pakistan-Japan Friendship Forum (PJFF) has been established in Islamabad with an aim to further cement friendly relationships between the two countries. The Forum is founded by its Chairman Khalid Malik, a renowned businessman, with a vision to further strengthen ties between Japan and Pakistan.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the representatives of Pakistani cultural organisations, members of the business community, former Pakistani alumni of Japanese universities and other important socio-cultural personalities of the capital city.

Ambassador Kurai while speaking at the inaugural ceremony congratulated Khalid Malik for making tremendous efforts to establish Pakistan-Japan Friendship Forum and hoped that this forum will help further strengthen the existing friendly relations between Japan and Pakistan.  Ambassador Kurai said people-to-people contacts are the very foundation for the whole relationship between two countries and Pakistan Japan Friendship Forum has been established to further promote these relationships.

Ambassador Kurai hoped that the new forum of friendship will do its best for further deepening the bilateral relations between the two countries. Pakistan-Japan Friendship Forum Chairman Khalid Malik while speaking at the occasion said that Pakistan and Japan have potential to further promote their relationships in all fields including culture, business, education and sports.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2018.