On the face of it, the increase in quota by Malaysia for their import of halal meat to $200 million does not seem a major development, but it indicates the potential for trade between the two countries, as well as the reason. Both are Muslim countries, and thus there are aspects of cultural compatibility contained in the halal meat agreement. There is a demand for meat in Malaysia, which does not have much of a livestock industry, and because the population is Muslim, the meat must be halal. Pakistan is a natural source of exports. It should be remembered that Pakistan is one of the Muslim countries importing Turkish jellies, because they are made of halal gelatin. It should be noted that this Malaysian agreement will provide a fillip to the livestock sector in Pakistan, which is growing in importance within its agriculture. However, perhaps more important, it provides a further opportunity for Pakistan to make its mark in the whole of ASEAN, which include the Muslim countries of Brunei and Indonesia, as well as Singapore, Thailand and the Phillipines, all three with significant Muslim minorities. Halal food is not the only point of interest. Malaysia is also the leading source of palm oil, upon which the vegetable ghee industry relies.
Malaysia also has a strong streak of Islamic solidarity. Its first PM, Tunku Abdur Rahman, played a key role in the calling of the first Islamic Conference in 1969, which was held to express resentment against a Zionist arson attack on the Masjid Al-Aqsa. More recently, Mr Imran Khan got into a tangle when he first agreed to attend a summit in Malaysia intended to create a non-Arab OIC, but buckled under Saudi pressure and decided not to attend, thus making the whole plan fail.
Another commonality is that both countries are former British colonies. The result of that is that their peoples have an ability to communicate, which has led to Pakistanis increasingly going to Malaysia for higher studies as well as work. The visit has been important in refreshing the close ties between the countries, all the more necessary to counter hostile moves from India, which has a British-era diaspora, mostly of South Indian origin, to act as a boosters’ club.
