Australian High Commissioner calls on the IPAC chairman

Stronger institutional ties between Pakistan and Australia are essential for navigating today’s complex geopolitical landscape.

Discussion at IPAC

The Institute of Peace and Connectivity welcomed His Excellency Mr. Neil Hawkins, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, who called on IPAC chairman Mr. Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri at IPAC’s offices in Lahore. The meeting brought together two distinguished voices in diplomacy and policy to discuss matters of shared strategic significance.

The discussions ranged across the full breadth of Pakistan-Australia bilateral relations, with particular focus on regional security dynamics in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, avenues for expanding bilateral trade and investment, and deepening cooperation in education and people-to-people engagement. The two sides underscored the importance of sustained high-level dialogue in a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment.

Mr. Kasuri, drawing on his extensive experience as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister from 2002 to 2007, shared IPAC’s vision for a Pakistan more deeply integrated into the architecture of regional peace and global connectivity. His Excellency Mr. Hawkins reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to an enduring and productive partnership with Pakistan, highlighting the significant Pakistani diaspora community in Australia as a bridge between the two nations.

Both sides expressed keen interest in building on existing frameworks of cooperation and explored the role that independent policy institutions such as IPAC can play in sustaining track-two dialogue and generating evidence-based recommendations for governments. The meeting concluded with a commitment to continued engagement at the institutional level.