New Delhi: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will not travel to Pakistan after attending the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as the chief guest, Indian sources have stated.

While the Ministry of External Affairs has yet to make an official announcement, Jakarta has confirmed the invitation, and Subianto is set to be at the makeshift dais when the Republic Day parade on January 26 proceeds along the ceremonial route.

With Indian officials remaining tight-lipped, it remains unclear whether Pakistan has been entirely dropped from the Indonesian President’s itinerary, whether he will travel there from a third country or if the visit has been deferred to a later date.

Last week, Pakistani media, citing unnamed sources, reported that Subianto would visit Islamabad on January 26. However, a January 9 press release from Pakistan’s Information Department about preparations for the visit did not mention any specific dates.

Despite only a fortnight remaining, no formal announcement has been made, with no reason given for the delay. Indian sources, however, were firm in stating that the Indonesian President would not be visiting Pakistan this time.

The delay, unusual compared to previous years, has fuelled speculation that New Delhi might have been displeased by the possibility of Indonesia combining a visit to India with a stop in Pakistan.

With its policy of de-hyphenating relations with Pakistan, India has actively lobbied foreign leaders to avoid pairing visits to Islamabad with trips to New Delhi, or at least to avoid traveling directly between the two capitals.

This concern over Indonesia stems from past precedent. In 2018, then-President Joko Widodo travelled directly to Islamabad after serving as the Republic Day chief guest on January 26. 

However, on that occasion, Widodo was one of 10 ASEAN leaders invited as part of India’s Republic Day celebrations.

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