Speaking at a function held to celebrate the National Day of Pakistan, President Mohamed Nasheed has thanked the Pakistani community living in the Maldives

“They have been our friends and they have been our development partners for a very long time and we appreciate the very good work the community is doing here in the Maldives,” he said.

Highlighting the close relations that exists between the Maldives and Pakistan, President Nasheed said that the two countries shared many similarities “in tradition and in faith”.

He said that the founding fathers of Pakistan, had wanted to establish a tolerant and democratic society within the values and principles of Islam and added that both Maldives and Pakistan now faced challenges in protecting and promoting those values and principles.