Malaysia's PM Anwar Ibrahim arrives in Pakistan

Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday arrived in Pakistan for a three-day official visit along with a high-level delegation. 

During his visit, the Malaysian PM will hold meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders.

The Malaysian PM was warmly welcomed by PM Shehbaz while he was presented a 21-cannon salute upon his arrival.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and members of the federal cabinet were also present during the reception. Moreover, children dressed in traditional dress presented flowers to the distinguished guest.

The Foreign Office on Monday said that the two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.

FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that both leaders will also discuss regional and global developments.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy strong bilateral ties anchored in history, culture and faith. This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations, FO spokesperson added.

Malaysia seeks industrial cooperation

Last month, Syafik Firdaus Hasbullah, Deputy Head of Mission for Malaysia, called for increased cooperation between Pakistan and Malaysia in defence and security, science and technology, renewable energy and climate change besides education, culture and people to people contact.

Hasbullah made the remarks while addressing an event organised here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). Hasbullah noted that Malaysian exports to Pakistan mainly focused on the agricultural sector, textiles and chemical products, with less emphasis on high-tech industrial cooperation.

While identifying the core areas of cooperation between the two countries, he stressed the need for improving the quality of products to meet the competitive demands.

He observed that the Malaysian government was prepared to assist Pakistan in improving the quality of its goods, including providing training and guidance to Pakistani businesspersons through the Malaysian Technological Cooperation Program (MTCP).

He specifically mentioned that since the establishment of MTCP in 1980, more than 700 people from Pakistan benefitted from its courses which included tourism, anti-corruption, counterterrorism, palm oil industry, Islamic finance, technical training and the halal industry, he added.

During his presentation, Mr Hasbullah highlighted the progress in the Pakistan-Malaysia bilateral relationship since its inception in 1957, emphasising cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, education, health and science and technology.

He also expressed the view that the current bilateral trade volume of around $1.78 billion did not reflect the strong bond between the two countries and its people, and therefore, both countries need to work on high tech industrial cooperation between the two countries.