Indonesia | Pakistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that he was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and widespread devastation caused by the earthquake in Indonesia.

Rescuers combed through debris for survivors on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck off Flores island in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 20 people and sending thousands fleeing. As the full scale of the disaster unfolded, rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP at least 20 people were confirmed dead from four different towns on the island, popular with tourists. “From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried,” Fathur said by telephone from a boat on his way to Nagekeo regency, the hardest-hit area. Two people were known to be trapped alive under rubble in the neighbouring Manggarai regency after the 7.7-magnitude jolt. “Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble” said Fathur, adding the rescue effort had been complicated by landslides cutting off several roads. Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday — a possible sign of an approaching tsu...

ISLAMABAD - Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan Chandra Warsenanto Sukotjo has extended warm felicitations and greetings to the government and people of Pakistan on the occasion of the country’s 80th Independence Day, reaffirming the longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two brotherly nations.

India will supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, an Indian government official said on Tuesday, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a two-day visit to Jakarta. Indian sources earlier told Reuters that the deal, worth around $630 million, would likely be signed during Modi’s visit. Indonesia would be the third country to sign an agreement to buy the missiles, which are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The deal would mark a major expansion of India’s defence exports and deepen strategic ties with Southeast Asia’s largest economy at a time of growing competition with China for influence in the Indo-Pacific. BrahMos missiles, jointly developed by India and Russia, are among the world’s fastest cruise missiles and can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. The Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles can be integrated on Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets in the Indonesian Air Force. The Indian government did not respond to earl...

Three hikers, including two foreigners, died and 10 were missing after Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s eastern Halmahera island erupted on Friday, spewing an ash cloud about 10 kilometres into the air, a local police chief said. “There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate” island in eastern Indonesia, police chief Erlichson Pasaribu of North Halmahera district told Kompas TV. Seven people had come down safely, Erlichson said, but 10 more were missing in an area declared off-limits to visitors last month after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity. According to Indonesia’s BNPB disaster mitigation agency, five climbers were injured in the eruption. “The joint teams from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) continue to conduct sweeps and evacuations of climbers in the mountain area as volcanic activity increases,” spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Erlichson said the rescue operation was taking place in roug...

Indonesia on Wednesday accused Israel of flying a “propaganda” banner over the ruins of a hospital that had been built in Gaza with Indonesian funding. The Indonesia Hospital, in the north of the Gaza Strip near the fortified border with Israel, was opened in late 2015 after Indonesia’s Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, a humanitarian NGO, raised approximately $7.3 million in donations for its construction, according to state news agency Antara. It has since been destroyed, and Jakarta on Wednesday objected to the raising of a banner over the ruins that alluded to Israel’s 12-day “Rising Lion” military operation against Iran last year. “The use of military symbols and propaganda over the ruins of a destroyed hospital, especially when linked to a specific military operation, is a highly provocative act and cannot be justified,” the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on X. “This act is an insult to a humanitarian facility built from the solidarity of the Indonesian people for the Palestinian people.”...

A criminal case against Myanmar’s newly-elected President Min Aung Hlaing was filed in Indonesia on Monday by a group of civil society organisations, accusing the leader of acts of genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. Myanmar is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), but relations have come under strain since a 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing, leading to civil war and a humanitarian crisis, with large numbers of Rohingya Muslims displaced and forced into refugee settlements. Indonesia, which hosts ASEAN’s headquarters, is the biggest Muslim-majority country in the world, and is among the destinations for Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar or the refugee camps by boat. Myanmar’s armed forces, under thenjunta chief Min Aung Hlaing, launched an offensive in 2017 that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes and into neighbouring Bangladesh, where they recounted killings, mass rape and arson. The complaint to Indonesia’s Attorney General’s office was filed by Yasmin Ullah, ...

Indonesia began enforcing a social media ban for children under the age of 16 on Saturday, after a minister warned digital platforms there was “no room for compromise.” The Southeast Asian nation announced the ban this month citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying and internet addiction, as concerns grow globally over the impact of social media on children’s wellbeing. Communications minister Meutya Hafid said at a press conference late Friday that digital platforms X and Bigo Live have fully complied with the new rules and adjusted their minimum user age in line with the regulation. Other digital platforms operating in the country should “immediately align their products, features and services with applicable regulations,” Meutya said. “We reiterate that there is no room for compromise regarding compliance, and that every business entity operating in Indonesia is required to adhere to the laws in force within the country.” TikTok said in a statement late Friday that it was committed to complyin...

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has reassured local Islamic groups that he will withdraw from United States President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ if the platform does not benefit Palestinians, a government statement said on Friday. The participation of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, on the board, and its decision to contribute troops for a Gaza stabilisation force, has drawn criticism from experts and Muslim groups at home, who say it compromises its long-standing support for the Palestinian cause. Prabowo gathered the groups’ leaders for a meeting on Thursday evening where he reiterated his reasoning behind joining the board, according to a statement put out by the government communication office. Prabowo will withdraw from the board if it does not benefit Palestinian and Indonesian interests, the statement quoted Hanif Alatas of the Islamic Brotherhood Front as saying. “The president said that if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine … and that it is no...

ISLAMABAD - Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force during his official visit to Indonesia called on President Prabowo Subianto on Friday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Indonesia yesterday vowed to strengthen bilateral ties after talks here at the Foreign Office.

Australia and Indonesia signed a security treaty on Friday, paving the way for closer cooperation and new military training facilities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The pact will facilitate defence initiatives that include embedding a senior Indonesian officer within Australia’s defence force, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement after the signing in Jakarta. Australia will also support the development of military training facilities to boost Indonesia’s ability to conduct joint drills, he said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara chief Rosan Roeslani show signed document at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 6, 2026. —Reuters Canberra has been seeking to bolster its military power in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence. Indonesia has proven more cautious with its foreign policy, not wanting to be seen taking sides and upsetting Beijing, its biggest trading partner. Albanese hailed the agree...

Indonesia has received three Rafale fighter jets from France in the first deliveries from a multi-billion dollar defence deal between the two countries, a defence ministry official told Reuters on Monday, marking a major upgrade to the country’s ageing military hardware. Jakarta, France’s main arms client in Southeast Asia, has placed orders for as many as 42 Rafales, built by Dassault Aviation, as well as French frigates and submarines, as the archipelago steps up defence spending under President Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander. “The aircraft have been handed over and are ready for use by the Indonesian Air Force, Defence Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait said in a message in response to a Reuters query — the first confirmation that Indonesia has possession of the advanced military aircraft after striking an $8 billion deal with France in 2022 and expanding it last year. Sirait said the three aircraft arrived on Friday and were stationed at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru, ...

Indonesian authorities resumed search-and-rescue efforts for 80 people missing after a landslide killed 10 in a residential area of West Java province. The landslide early on Saturday was triggered by heavy rains starting the day before, which the weather agency warned could continue for a week in the province and several other regions. Resident Dedi Kurniawan, 36, said it was the first big landslide he had witnessed in Pasir Langu village in a hilly area of the province about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. “Sometimes we have only small floods from the nearest river, but this time (the landslide) came from the forest,” he told Reuters. Rescuers were hampered on Saturday as unstable terrain and rain hindered them from deploying heavy machinery, Kompas TV reported, citing authorities. There were multiple reports of floods in West Java, including Jakarta. The floods have caused residents in heavily impacted areas to evacuate to higher ground or unaffected places. The landslide occur...

ISLAMABAD - Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (Retd), Minister of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi on Monday.

Indonesia has expressed its desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan across multiple domains, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday. The development came as Indonesian Defence Minister Lieutenant General (retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. “The meeting focused on matters of mutual interest, evolving regional and global security dynamics, and exploration of avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation,” it said. “Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening institutional linkages, training collaboration and defence industrial cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesia,” it added. “The visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He also expressed Indonesia’s desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan ...

Indonesia seeks deeper bilateral defence ties

Indonesia has welcomed the arrival of the first giant panda born in the country, marking a significant milestone after years of efforts to breed the vulnerable species. The cub was born on Nov. 27 at the Taman Safari Indonesia wildlife park in Bogor, West Java, to giant panda pair Cai Tao and Hu Chun. Both pandas arrived in the park in 2017, under a 10-year joint research programme and as a symbol of the friendship between Indonesia and China. Taman Safari Indonesia’s Corporate Communication Manager Trully Erlynda said the birth is the culmination of a decade-long international collaboration. “We welcome the panda cub’s birth with gratitude and joy. It is a proud year-end milestone for Indonesia and a sign of advancing international conservation cooperation,” Trully said on Monday. In August, the veterinary team at Taman Safari Indonesia, working with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, performed an artificial insemination procedure on giant pandas Cai Tao and Hu Chun in an ef...

Devastating floods and landslides have killed 1,003 people in Indonesia, rescuers said on Saturday as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with relief efforts. The disaster, which has hit the northwestern island of Sumatra over the past fortnight, has also injured more than 5,400, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest toll. The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 in Aceh province, which lies at the northern tip of the island. The final toll is expected to rise, with the disaster agency reporting 218 people are still missing. With vast tracts of territory hit, 1.2 million residents have been forced to take refuge in temporary shelters. Frustration has grown among flood victims, who have complained about the pace of relief efforts. President Prabowo Subianto said on Saturday the situation has improved, with several areas which had been cut off now accessible. “Here and there, due to natural and physical condit...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Indonesia on Tuesday agreed to enhance bilateral trade, expand cooperation in health, agriculture, information technology, science, and education, and deepen coordination on regional and global issues, including Palestine.