Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia Prime Minister, is expected to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday for a three-day official visit that will focus on strengthening historical and strategic relations between the two countries. “The Malaysian premier’s visit comes after Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Mohamad Hasan, who landed in Islamabad on Wednesday and was received by Additional Foreign Secretary for the Asia Pacific, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui”.
The high-level visit is expected to be a fully packed agenda with comprehensive discussions, but key among these discussions is enhancing collaboration across a wide variety of sectors, including trade, energy, agriculture, tourism, and the halal industry. Cultural exchanges and efforts to boost people-to-people contacts between the two Muslim-majority nations will also be prioritized. Notably, both countries have enjoyed strong bilateral relations, hence strongly anchored in shared history, culture, and faith.
The visit will also see PM Ibrahim attend a meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders will, on this visit likely share views on matters of common interest cut across regional and international issues. Their meeting is said to be the follow-up to an earlier such meeting that occurred a month ago when the two PMs had met on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia.
The premier formally invited his Malaysian counterpart during that meeting after Ibrahim’s re-election in February 2024 general elections held in Malaysia.
Ibrahim’s delegation includes ministers, deputy ministers, and other high-ranking officials. The visit is considered important as it would expand the cooperation between the countries. Islamabad has decorated its buildings with flags from both countries ahead of Malaysian premier’s arrival as diplomatic engagement is considered very crucial for the country.
This visit is of great significance in respect of economic and diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Pakistan, as it multiplies the already existing collaboration between the two countries in various spheres.
