Amb. Sukotjo talks to Islamabad POST: Indonesia-Pak relations move toward Concrete outcomes
Ansar M Bhatti / DNA
ISLAMABAD: In an exclusive conversation with Daily Islamabad POST, the Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan H.E. Chandra W. Sukotjo highlighted the growing depth of bilateral cooperation across education, investment, regional policy, and tourism.
Speaking on academic exchanges, he explained that the Indonesian government annually offers the KNB Scholarship (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang), which promotes international cooperation by enabling students from developing countries to pursue higher education in Indonesia.
Pakistan is currently the largest recipient, with more than 500 Pakistani students enrolled. In addition, several Indonesian universities independently provide scholarships for international students, including Pakistanis. He noted that hundreds of Indonesian students are studying in Pakistan, particularly at the International Islamic University Islamabad and Jaamia Binoria Aalamia in Karachi. Earlier this month, the Embassy also hosted a delegation from the World Universities Association for Community Development, which briefed on collaboration with OIC-COMSTECH to strengthen academic ties. The Ambassador expressed his readiness to support such initiatives to further enrich Indonesia-Pakistan relations.
On investment opportunities, the Ambassador identified halal pharmaceuticals and surgical equipment as immediate areas where Pakistani firms could move into co-production models within Indonesia’s regulatory framework.
He also pointed to healthcare institutions, agriculture logistics, and cold chain infrastructure as promising sectors. For Indonesian investors in Pakistan, he emphasized edible oil refining, vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing, halal meat processing, IT development centers, fintech collaboration, and mining ventures in copper, gold, and lithium. These, he said, could transform bilateral economic engagement from commodity trade to infrastructure-led value creation.
Discussing ASEAN, the Ambassador reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to the ASEAN Way of peaceful dispute resolution, non-interference, and consensus-based decision-making. He highlighted ASEAN’s role in regional stability through forums such as the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. For Pakistan, he noted, ASEAN is a central pillar of the Look East policy, offering integration with a bloc of 11 member states representing over 700 million people and an economy nearing USD 4 trillion.
Tourism was another area of focus. Indonesia, a leading global destination, hosted over 15 million tourists in 2025, though only a small fraction were from Pakistan. He shared that Pakistani tourist arrivals in Indonesia have steadily increased over the past five years, while the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Pakistan has also grown.
He underscored the potential for Indonesian construction firms to contribute to Pakistan’s tourism infrastructure and suggested that Indonesia’s hospitality expertise—particularly the “Bali model”—could help unlock the tourism potential of northern regions such as Hunza and Skardu.
