By Pervaiz Mughal
ISLAMABAD: The Australian High Commission celebrated Australia Day in Spring 2026 in Islamabad, bringing together senior government representatives, diplomats, business leaders, media figures, alumni and friends of Australia to mark the national day and celebrate what officials described as a strong and growing partnership between Australia and Pakistan.
The event highlighted the breadth of Australia’s engagement with Pakistan across trade, agriculture, education, climate resilience, water security, defence cooperation, sport and wider people-to-people ties developed over generations.
Speaking at the event, Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Timothy Kane, reflected on the deep historical links between the two countries. “From the cameleers from present-day Pakistan who helped open Australia’s outback, to the more than 145,000 Australians of Pakistani heritage and the 21,000 Pakistani students currently studying in Australia, ours is a relationship with deep human roots,” Kane said.
Kane said Australia and Pakistan were practical partners in areas central to both countries’ futures. “Australia and Pakistan, as two middle powers in the Indo-Pacific region, are working together to strengthen food security, improve water management, build climate resilience and expand educational opportunities. It is a partnership grounded in trust, tangible cooperation and shared interests.”
The High Commissioner highlighted more than 40 years of agricultural collaboration between the two countries, including joint research on water management, salinity, hybrid wheat, citrus and mango value chains, and climate-resilient farming.
He also noted the growing scale of commercial ties, with two-way trade now exceeding US$2.6bn, including Australian exports of chickpeas, oilseeds and dairy cattle that contribute to Pakistan’s food security and dairy sector.
