New Delhi: Even with just two weeks left, India has yet to announce the chief guest for this year’s Republic Day, though Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is widely anticipated to take on the role.
The delay in formal announcement is noteworthy in light of the precedent of the last few years.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s acceptance to be the chief guest for last year’s Republic Day was confirmed by December. Earlier, the external affairs ministry had announced Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi November 2022. Before the pandemic, the selection of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as the chief guest for the 2020 Republic Day parade was also made clear by November 2019.
While there are no signs suggesting President Subianto will not attend, reports indicate he may also visit Islamabad during the same trip. Pakistani media reported on Wednesday (January 8), citing unnamed sources, that Subianto is scheduled to travel to Islamabad on January 26.
India, which has emphasised its policy of de-hyphenating relations with Pakistan, has actively lobbied foreign leaders to avoid including Islamabad on the same overseas tour as New Delhi or at least avoid direct travel from here.
Therefore, the Indonesian leader’s travel itinerary may raise eyebrows in New Delhi.
So far, Indonesia has been selected as the Republic Day chief guest three times, including for the inaugural parade in 1950. The most recent instance was in 2018, when then-President Joko Widodo attended.
Reports from that time indicate that Widodo also visited Pakistan on January 26. However, on that occasion, he was one of ten Southeast Asian leaders invited as joint chief guests, as India had extended invitations to all ASEAN heads of state to commemorate 25 years of engagement with the bloc.
India and Indonesia, which have maintained close relations since gaining independence, elevated their ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in 2018. For India, Indonesia remains its largest trading partner in the economically vital Southeast Asian region.