Cooperation with Indonesia

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri's three-day visit to Pakistan is a milestone event in that it will not only help renew traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, but will lead to greater cooperation in areas that have long been neglected in the past.

Indonesia is an emerging economic power in Southeast Asia and is seen as a key player in an important and vibrant region. Any agreement that will allow Pakistan easy access to this market on a reciprocal basis is bound to be beneficial to our exporters and other traders.

In this regard, the understanding by the two governments to intensify private sector collaboration is expected to go a long way in promoting trade and economic cooperation. Pakistan needs to look at Indonesia as a potential source of foreign investment and the agreement between the two governments is expected to help encourage Indonesian investors to come and assess possibilities here.

Like Pakistan, Indonesia is a Muslim country that is also playing an important role in the war against terror. Similarly, Indonesia has suffered from acts of terrorism in the past and is also home to some religious groups that believe in and practice a more militant form of Islam.

Both Indonesia and Pakistan embody the moderate face of Islam. Cooperation between the two will help dispel paranoiac impressions about Muslims and Islam in some quarters in the West and elsewhere.

Further, with special reference to Pakistan, Indonesia is seen as a transit country by some unscrupulous elements involved in trafficking illicit drugs and illegal immigration. Consequently, over the past few years there has been a rise in drugs and immigrants that end up in Indonesia originating from Pakistan.

In a banquet for the visiting dignitary, President Musharraf stressed the need to build synergies between south-east Asia and South Asia to create a favorable climate for the Asian region as a whole. This is a sound path to follow and with the process of normalization of ties between India and Pakistan underway, one can hope for greater cooperation between the two regions in the near future, perhaps at the level of Saarc and ASEAN.

In this regard, Indonesia should favor Pakistan's interest in joining ASEAN in an observer capacity keeping in view the importance this country attaches to developments in south-east Asia.

-- The Dawn, Karachi