Islamabad (TDI): The ASEAN Committee in Islamabad (ACI) hosted the closing ceremony of the Online Internship Program (OIP) 2026, alongside the ASEAN Village cultural festival at the Embassy of Indonesia, on Saturday.
The day-long event brought together ambassadors and high commissioners from ASEAN member states, Pakistani government officials, academics, students, and media representatives.
Indonesian Ambassador, who is also currently the Chair of ACI, delivered remarks for the internship closing ceremony, recognizing students from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, who participated in the six-week program.
OIP 2026 was designed as a platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange between ASEAN member states and Pakistan, with diplomats, academics, and practitioners from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam leading sessions on regional cooperation, economic integration, climate change, democracy, and human rights.
Read More: Pakistan Invites ASEAN Countries to Invest in Tourism and Emerging Tech
The opening ceremony was held at the University of the Punjab on 29 April, drawing around 100 students alongside ambassadors from six ASEAN nations.
The afternoon then shifted to celebration as the ASEAN Village kicked off, a cultural fair which was running across three spaces at the Indonesian Embassy, including the Basketball Court, Budaya Hall, and Garuda Ground.
Food stalls offered traditional dishes from across the region, while cultural booths showcased handicrafts, traditional costumes, tourism information, and interactive games from each member state.
Performances throughout the day included Indonesia’s Ganongan and Wonderful dances, a Muay Thai demonstration from Thailand, Malaysia’s Pahang dance, a Myanmar traditional fashion show, and Pakistan’s own students performing in a show of cross-cultural solidarity.
Read More: Thai Embassy Hosts Vibrant Songkran Celebration in Islamabad
The evening program featured the energetic Indonesian Sajojo dance, acoustic performances over lunch, and an ASEAN Amazing Race; a booth-to-booth activity where guests collected national flag stickers for a chance to win prizes.
ASEAN’s diplomatic community in Pakistan set an exceptional standard through this event; to go beyond formal channels and connect with Pakistani society through culture, education, and people-to-people exchange.
With Pakistan sitting outside ASEAN’s geographic boundaries but increasingly engaged with the bloc on trade, education, and regional dialogue, initiatives like OIP and ASEAN Village serve as soft-power bridges between two dynamic parts of Asia.
For the students who spent weeks studying Southeast Asian governance and society, today’s ceremony was both a graduation and an invitation; into a wider conversation about what ASEAN and Pakistan can build together.
