Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir emerges as top global negotiator
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Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir , is planning to visit Indonesia after his trip to Sri Lanka later this month, seeking to revive bilateral ties with the country which has the largest Muslim population, said people familiar with the matter.Munir, who has emerged as Pakistan's key figure for global outreach, is scheduled to visit Colombo on July 21, just over a month after US President Donald Trump hosted him for lunch at the White House.He is expected to meet key stakeholders in Jakarta, eyeing to rebuild the bilateral partnership which has been lukewarm since democracy took roots in Indonesia, said the people.Indonesia has been backing India on the issue of terrorism and territorial integrity , including at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), much to Pakistan's discomfort. Besides its strong focus on territorial integrity, drawing from its own experience in Papua, Indonesia has often cracked down on terrorist infrastructure and radical views and has found common cause with India on the issue.In May, Indonesia, backed by Egypt and Bahrain, stalled Pakistan's efforts to have a strong reference against India on the Kashmir issue at a meeting of the OIC Parliamentary Union held in Jakarta.ET had reported earlier that India is holding consultations with Indonesia on blunting Pakistan's repeated efforts to issue anti-India resolutions at the OIC.During the recent visit by Indian MPs to Jakarta, India and Indonesia held brainstorming sessions on Indonesian anti-terrorism and deradicalisation programmes. The delegation sought Indonesia's unwavering support against all forms of terrorism, referring to the two countries' shared values of peace and tolerance as the largest Muslim countries in the world.In January, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had dropped his plan to travel to Pakistan from India during his visit for the Republic Day celebrations and spent more time in New Delhi beyond his original schedule. Amid growing tensions with Pakistan, Indonesia also extended a hand of assistance to India by deporting two alleged ISIS-linked terrorists to India. Abdullah Fayaz and Talha Khan were hiding in Indonesia and were recently deported by Jakarta, ET had earlier reported.The deportation of the two ISIS operatives happened days after the Indonesian President met India's envoy in Jakarta to discuss the April 22 Pahalgam attack. At that meeting Prabowo said that the attack did not reflect the teachings of Islam practised in Indonesia and noted that any system influenced by the military does not produce desired results.
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