PESHAWAR: He is an ambassador unlike other ambassadors. Unlike other top diplomats whose main interest in Peshawar, whenever they visit the provincial capital, is terrorism, security, Afghanistan and the tribal region, this ambassador talks about tourism and trade. And Adam Mulawarman Tugio, Indonesia’s ambassador to Pakistan is passionate about it.

“Peshawar is very close to Indonesians,” he told a small audience of local media, tour operators, travel agents and tour guides. “I have been touched by the hospitality of the people of Peshawar,” he said.

One of the most frequently asked question of people coming from Jakarta, he said, had always been the location of Soekarno Square or the Soekarno Chowk -- named after the statesman and founding father of Indonesia. “I tell them it is in Peshawar,” he added.

He said that he was amazed to see how many people knew about Indonesia and the love and respect they had for his country. Meeting the vice-chancellor of University of Peshawar, where he set up ‘Indonesia Corner”, the second country to do so after the US, which already has a Lincoln Corner, Mr Adam Mulawarman said the purpose of his two-day visit to the provincial capital was to explore ways to enhance people-to-people contact and ‘put Indonesia in the microscope of Peshawar.’

Adam Mulawarman Tugio praises Peshawarites’ hospitality

The Indonesian ambassador said bilateral trade between the two countries was on a positive trajectory, totaling $2.5 billion. He said that the main challenge before the two countries was to see how to diversify trade relations. “I tell my colleagues in Jakarta, look at Pakistan beyond Pakistan,” he remarked, referring to CPEC that would connect Pakistan to Central Asian Republics and western China.

Similarly, he said, Pakistan needed to look Indonesia beyond Indonesia in the context of ASEAN and China with a total trade of over $700 billion. “We need to expand our relations using all avenues available to us. There is a huge potential,” Mr Adam Mulawarman told the gathering.

Referring to the tourism sector, the Indonesian envoy to Islamabad underlined its importance, particularly in the context of religious tourism for tourists from the ASEAN countries. While Muslims from Indonesia were keen on visiting Pakistan for Tableeghi Ijtimah, for the Buddhists from Korea, Japan and other places Taxila was “like a new Makka,” he added.

Highlighting tourism in his home country, the ambassador said that while Bali had the most attraction for tourists, there were plenty of other tourist attractions. He also mentioned cultural, religious and social similarities between people of the two countries. “The first question on people’s mind while visiting any country is: what is the food like there,” he remarked.

He said that Indonesia had just opened its international borders for tourists, limiting the quarantine to three days but he added that his country was constantly reviewing the Covid-19 situation and would take further steps to ease those restrictions. He said that more countries would be added to the list with improvement in vaccination and Covid-19 situation.

He also informed the audience that he was considering opening a consulate general in Peshawar and set up visa-drop-box centres to facilitate tourists from the area to his country.

He took note of suggestions from tour operators and travel agents regarding problems with e-visa and waiving police clearance, which they maintained took considerable time. He disclosed that he had worked to initiate direct flights between Karachi and Jakarta but Covid-19 hampered the plan.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2021