–Premier tells Malaysian counterpart he’ll attend the next summit as he knows it won’t create divisions within Muslim world
–Imran thanks Mahathir for his constant support over Kashmir issue, pledges to buy more palm oil to compensate for India’s withdrawal
–Pakistan and Malaysia agree to strengthen trade and investment relations by removing barriers in key areas
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed regret over his absence from the Kuala Lampur Summit due to the misconceptions of other Islamic countries, and said that he knows that the forum would not create any divisions within the Muslim world.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his official visit to Malaysia, PM Imran thanked the Malaysian premier for standing by Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and speaking against the injustices being perpetrated by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir.
He said, unfortunately, a very radical and extremist government has taken over India which has put the Kashmiri people in an open prison. He expressed disappointment over the fact that India had also threatened Malaysia for supporting the Kashmir cause and had cut back on palm oil imports. He said that Pakistan will do its best to compensate for Malaysia’s loss by importing palm oil.
Talking about the trade relationship between the two countries, he said that given the close affinity between the people of Pakistan and Malaysia, there is a great scope for further improvement in trade and economic relations. “The idea is to develop a much closer relationship and also doing joint ventures in the defence sector,” he said.
PM Imran said that he would like to attend the next Kuala Lampur Summit as he knows that it would not affect Pakistan’s relationship with other Muslim countries and would not cause discord among them, but rather it would strengthen their relationship.
“There was a misconception among some Muslim countries that the conference would divide the Ummah,” he said.
“Unfortunately, our friends, who are very close to Pakistan as well, felt that somehow the conference was going to divide the Muslim world. It was clearly a misconception because that was not the purpose of the conference as evident from when the conference took place,” he said in an implied referring towards Saudi Arabia and its regional allies including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who saw the summit as a threat to Kingdom-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“It is important for the Muslim countries to educate the western world and non-Muslim countries about the true teachings of Islam and for this purpose, we are working on a joint media venture that would not only enable them to project a positive image of Islam and fight Islamophobia but also educate the younger generation of Muslims,” he said.
“All these misunderstandings, whether they are deliberate or whether they are by ignorance, […] it is important that we the Muslim countries, educate them about the real message of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),” he added.
In his remarks, the Malaysian premier said that Pakistan and Malaysia have multifaceted relations and PM Imran’s visit reflects Pakistan’s commitment to enhance these relations. “We have set a stage for a new phase in this relationship and we will continue to foster and deepen relations with Pakistan,” he said.
He said that during his meeting with PM Imran, he discussed the current situation of the Muslim Ummah, including the Palestine issue. “We have agreed to increase collaborative efforts to uphold the true value of Islam and promote solidarity of the Muslim Ummah,” he said.
PM Mahathir said we also discussed the current situation in Muslim Ummah, including the Palestine situation. “We have agreed to increase the collaborative efforts to uphold the true values of Islam and promote the solidarity of Muslim Ummah,” he said.
PAKISTAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIA:
Earlier, PM Imran also addressed an event organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) of Malaysia.
During his address, he reiterated that Pakistan was meant to emulate the Riasat-e-Madina, the model of statecraft introduced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but had lost its way.
“We want far away from that ideal and if you ask me why Pakistan could not achieve its great God-given potential, it is because of this fact.
“Nations without visions eventually die,” he said, adding, “My vision is to go back to the reason why Pakistan was made.”
Responding to a question at the session, the prime minister recalled that one of his first actions after being elected into power was “extending a hand of friendship to India”.
“I said this for one reason, and that one reason is that the greatest number of poor people live in the Indian subcontinent. The best way we can reduce poverty is when the two countries start having a good relationship and start trading with each other,” he said.
“And I repeat, that the reason we kept getting rebuffed by India, again and again, was not for practical reasons. It was because India has been taken over by an extremist ideology and time will tell people who don’t understand. What is happening in India right now is terrible for Indians. It will divide India forever,” he added.
The prime minister warned that the “Hindutva racial superior ideology” would exclude minorities in India. “Once this ideology is out of the bottle, it’s very difficult to put it back in the bottle. I say it in sympathy that what is happening in India is the biggest disaster for India because this sort of ideology, fascist ideology, does not allow any other shades of opinion to prosper,” he said.
He assured that Pakistan would be willing to develop friendly relations “whenever there is a government in India which believes in the prosperity of the subcontinent, poverty alleviation”.
PAKISTAN-MALAYSIA TRADE:
During PM Imran’s visit, delegation-level talks between Pakistan and Malaysia were held at Putrajaya. PM Imran led the Pakistani delegation while the Malaysian side was led by PM Mahathir. The two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and ways and means to further expand their relations in different fields including trade, economy and tourism. They agreed to hold regular discussions to strengthen trade and investment relations by removing barriers in key areas and develop linkages between the private sectors of the two countries. They expressed commitment to build stronger ties in the areas of defence, law enforcement, tourism and education. They reaffirmed commitment to ensure stronger collaboration amongst various ministries and agencies to enhance friendship and understanding between the people of two countries.
Earlier, PM Imran visited Seri Perdana, the official residence of the Malaysian prime minister. PM Mahathir and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Hj Mohd Ali received the Pakistani prime minister upon his arrival. PM Mahathir hosted a luncheon in PM Imran’s honour and the members of the Pakistani delegation.
Following the conclusion of his successful visit, PM Imran left for home. He was seen off at the airport by the Malaysian foreign and defence ministers.
