Pakistan awards Indonesia Navy Chief Nishan-e-Imtiaz for defense ties
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the president’s residence, Aiwan-e-Sadr, in Islamabad on Monday (Sept. 14).
TNI AL stated in a press release cited here Wednesday that the decoration was awarded for Ali’s outstanding contributions to strengthening military cooperation between Indonesia and Pakistan.
Head of the TNI AL Information Service First Admiral Tunggul described the awarding of the order as a reflection of intensive bilateral diplomacy.
“The award also symbolizes respect for the historic ties between Indonesia and Pakistan, which have endured since the era of President Soekarno,” he said, referring to Indonesia’s first head of state.
Tunggul added that the navy sees the honor as a strong foundation for continuing to strengthen defense cooperation with its Pakistani counterpart, particularly through joint military exercises and exchanges of knowledge on defense technology and equipment.
The officer expressed hope that the engagement in Islamabad would pave the way for even stronger relations between Indonesia and Pakistan in the future.
Admiral Ali received the decoration as the two countries have intensified military and defense exchanges this year, beginning with talks between Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Pakistani Minister for Defense Production Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj in January.
The two ministers discussed deepening ties through military education and training, defense human resource development, and the Joint Defense Cooperation Committee.
A joint naval drill in the Java Sea followed the engagement in May. TNI AL deployed two warships and one helicopter for tactical maneuvering, photography, and search-and-rescue exercises, accompanying a Pakistan Navy fleet comprising two warships and one submarine during its five-day courtesy visit.
The following month, Indonesia welcomed another Pakistani military delegation led by Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Commodore Anwar Saeed.
Fleet Command II Commander Rear Admiral I G.P. Alit Jaya hosted the delegation in East Java on June 25, exchanging views on strategic maritime developments and exploring avenues for a stronger defense partnership.
Reference Link:- https://en.antaranews.com/news/431584/pakistan-awards-indonesia-navy-chief-nishan-e-imtiaz-for-defense-ties
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
