ISLAMABAD: Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Islamabad for his three-day official visit aimed at reinvigorating the bilateral strategic partnership between Malaysia and Pakistan.

He was received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Nur Khan Airbase.

The Malaysian PM is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hassan; Minister of International Trade and Industry, Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz; Deputy Minister of Transport Datuk Haji Hasbi Bin Haji Habibollah; and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Senator Dr Zulkifli bin Hasan.

Foreign Minister Mohammad arrived earlier in the day and held preparatory discussions with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar.

The two prime ministers are set to meet formally on Thursday to review the current state of cooperation and explore avenues to strengthen bilateral relations.

Key areas of discussion will include trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, the halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges, and fostering stronger people-to-people ties. The two countries have maintained a strategic partnership since 2019.

Additionally, the leaders will exchange views on regional and international matters of mutual interest especially the Palestine conflict, Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the evolving situation in the Middle East.

Following their meeting, they will witness the signing and exchange of two important documents: a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Matrade and the Trade Development Authority of Pak­istan, and a letter of cooperation between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Pakistan Telecomm­unication Authority (PTA).

During this visit, three translated works of Allama Muhammad Iqbal — originally in Persian, Urdu and English — will be launched in Bahasa Melayu.

Prime Minister Anwar is also scheduled to deliver a lecture at the National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust), where he will be awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy.

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In addition, Prime Minister Anwar will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, who will bestow upon him Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, the Nishan-i-Pakistan.

In 2023, trade between Malaysia and Pakistan totalled $1.4 billion, reflecting an 18 per cent decline from the $1.78 billion recorded in 2022.

The Foreign Office stated that the Malaysian prime minister’s visit “presents a significant opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations”.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024