Pakistan, Indonesia pledge to deepen ties, expand trade
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• Both sides back two-state solution, urge global action to stop bloodshed in Gaza
• President Subianto welcomes PM Shehbaz’s offer to send doctors, dentists to support Indonesian institutions
• Multiple deals and MoUs signed on halal trade, SMEs, higher education, anti-narcotics and health
• Zardari confers Nishan-i-Pakistan on his Indonesian counterpart
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Indonesia on Tuesday agreed to enhance bilateral trade, expand cooperation in health, agriculture, information technology, science and education, and deepen coordination on regional and global issues, including Palestine.
In a joint press stakeout with Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto at PM House, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two countries were committed to boosting bilateral trade currently stood at $4.5 billion, noting that over 90 per cent of the total trade comprised palm oil import from Indonesia to Pakistan.
He said both sides discussed corrective measures to help balance trade, including increasing Pakistan’s exports in agriculture, IT-led initiatives and other sectors.
The prime minister also offered to send doctors, dentists, medical professors and other health experts to Indonesia to help it meet the needs of its universities and hospitals. “I want to assure you that whatever is possible for us in this regard, we will do it without any delay.”
President Subianto welcomed Pakistan’s offer to assist in the health sector, saying Indonesia had vast needs for doctors, dentists and medical experts, and termed the support strategic and critical. He said he had instructed ministers to expedite practical cooperation with Pakistan in multiple fields.
He also said that both countries were closely coordinating their foreign policies, particularly on Palestine and Gaza, reaffirming Indonesia’s support for a two-state solution. The foreign ministers of both sides remained in close contact, he added.
Expressing optimism about future ties, President Subianto invited PM Shehbaz to visit Indonesia to further enhance bilateral cooperation.
Gaza crisis
According to a Foreign Office statement, Pakistan and Indonesia expressed deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation in Palestine.
They reaffirmed their longstanding support for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace through the implementation of the two-state solution, in line with relevant UN resolutions and internationally agreed parameters, towards the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
Both sides welcomed the Gaza peace plan and appreciated their continued cooperation and diplomatic efforts in support of peace in Gaza.
Pakistan briefed the Indonesian side on developments related to the held Kashmir issue. Both sides emphasised the importance of peace, stability and resolving outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue in line with relevant international principles and established bilateral processes between the parties.
Recognising the importance of strengthening defence cooperation, both sides agreed to deepen collaboration through enhanced high-level military interactions, institutionalising defence industrial cooperation, specialised training programmes, and exchanges between military training institutions, in accordance with respective laws and regulations.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in disaster management and climate resilience through strengthened collaboration in knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and joint initiatives.
Agreements
Earlier, Pakistan and Indonesia signed multiple accords to strengthen bilateral cooperation across different sectors, including halal trade, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), higher education, anti-narcotics and health.
The accords were signed at a ceremony held at PM House as part of the Indonesian president’s two-day visit, following his one-on-one meeting and delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz.
The two leaders witnessed the ceremony as ministers from both sides formally exchanged the pre-signed documents of agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Indonesia and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan on mutual recognition of higher education certificates and degrees. The documents were exchanged by Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and his Indonesian counterpart Brian Yuliarto.
Another agreement between the governments of Pakistan and Indonesia was signed for the grant programme on “The Indonesian Aid Scholarships” and the documents were exchanged by Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
Pakistan and Indonesia signed an MoU on cooperation in halal trade and certification and Foreign Minister Sugiono and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan exchanged the documents.
Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain and the Indonesian foreign minister exchanged the documents of an MoU on facilitation and business development for small and medium enterprises.
Two countries also signed an MoU on archives cooperation, with the documents exchanged by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono.
They also exchanged the documents of another MoU on cooperation in combating drug trafficking. Both sides signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of health, and the documents were exchanged by the Indonesian foreign minister and Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal.
Nishan-i-Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari conferred Nishan-i-Pakistan, the highest civil award of Pakistan, on Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, at a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by PM Shehbaz, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf.
Earlier, a meeting was held between the two presidents which focused on historic ties between the two countries. The two leaders agreed to further strengthen their defence cooperation.
They reaffirmed close coordination between both states at multilateral forums, including efforts to counter Islamophobia and support Muslim unity. Matters relating to the regional and international situation also came under discussion.
Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2025
