— PM welcomes Malaysia’s decision to import halal meat worth $200 million from Pakistan
— PM Anwar Ibrahim stressed the importance of peace between Pakistan and India
— Both leaders reviewed progress in Pakistan–Malaysia bilateral ties and explored new avenues for cooperation across multiple sectors
KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan and Malaysia on Monday vowed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, education, and regional peace.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Perdana Putra Complex, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, reiterated their resolve to work together for achieving the desired goals.
PM Shehbaz expressed deep gratitude to the government and people of Malaysia for their warm hospitality and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing bilateral relations during his ongoing official visit.
“Our relations have strengthened over time, and I thank the people of Malaysia for their heartfelt welcome,” said Prime Minister Shehbaz. “Malaysia is like a second home to us.” During their discussions, the leaders reviewed progress in Pakistan–Malaysia bilateral ties and explored new avenues for cooperation across multiple sectors.
PM Shehbaz lauded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s vision and leadership, calling him “a leader of remarkable qualities.” He also welcomed Malaysia’s decision to import halal meat worth $200 million from Pakistan, describing it as a major step toward expanding economic engagement.
“We will continue to expand halal meat trade with the passage of time,” Shehbaz said, adding that Pakistan seeks to pursue joint ventures to benefit from Malaysia’s technological and industrial expertise.
Addressing the press conference, PM Anwar Ibrahim stressed the importance of peace between Pakistan and India, noting that stability in South Asia was crucial for the entire region. He also assured that Malaysia would extend full cooperation in combating terrorism.
In a symbolic gesture, PM Shehbaz praised his counterpart’s newly launched book, saying it would “serve as a bridge between Islamabad and Kuala Lumpur.” Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was given a guard of honor as he arrived at the Perdana Putra Complex—Office of the Malaysian prime minister.
The national anthems of Pakistan and Malaysia were played as both the leaders stood at the salute dais. The smartly dressed contingents of the Malaysian armed forces presented the guard of honor to Prime Minister Shehbaz.
Later, both the leaders introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for the one-on-one meeting and the delegation-level talks to review Malaysia-Pakistan bilateral ties and explore new areas of collaboration in multiple sectors.
PM Shehbaz said during the press conference with Ibrahim that Pakistan wanted to “join hands” with Malaysia for mutually beneficial projects that allowed for expertise from the two countries to come together.
PM Shehbaz began his media talk by thanking Ibrahim on behalf of the people of Pakistan for extending an exceptionally warm welcome to the visiting delegation and called the country a “second home”.
“This is my first visit to your great country but believe me, ever since we arrived here last night, I [see] familiar faces — very cordial, very warm — as if we have known each other for ages and that stems from sincerity of purpose and very true friendship. It’s like a family reunion,” he said.
“The way you are focused on building your great country into one of the strongest economies in the region and around the globe speaks volumes about your leadership skills, vision, and dynamism,” the premier said.
PM Shehbaz said that he and Ibrahim had “very productive discussions,” and they had covered a wide range of matters pertaining to bilateral relations and other international matters during a meeting held prior to the joint presser.
“I am very happy that our views converge on almost all important issues,” he said. He further said that the Malaysian premier’s visit to Pakistan last year was memorable in terms of further cementing bilateral relations.
“Today, I am very happy that you have expressed your vision [on] how to build our economic and trade relations, how to promote joint ventures, how to encourage investment […], how we can benefit from your vast experience in technology, artificial intelligence and other areas of economic growth where Malaysia has done remarkably well,” he said, adding that Pakistan stood to benefit from Malaysian experience in these areas.
“Today, I want to make it publicly known that Pakistan wants to join hands with Malaysia, not only to benefit from your experience but also to have joint ventures and mutually beneficial projects where Malaysian and Pakistani expertise can come together,” he said.
The premier noted that there were 150,000 Pakistanis in Malaysia who were contributing to national building efforts. “I think all this put together gives us tremendous encouragement and hope that we can use this potential and make our economies stronger,” he said.
He noted that Ibrahim, in his remarks, had indicated interest in meat exports from Pakistan to Malaysia worth $200 million. “I am eternally grateful to you […] but let me also make it abundantly clear for our Malaysian importers and officials that this quota of exporting meat will be regulated by a market price mechanism.
“It will be regulated by all halal certification required by Malaysian customs and food authorities […]. I want to assure you that we will make all possible efforts to meet all your terms and conditions and only on that basis will we achieve not only this quota of $200m, but in times to come it will increase and have a quantum jump,” he said.
The premier further said that an Urdu translation had been launched for Ibrahim’s book script, which detailed the latter’s vision of sustainability, innovation, research and development.
“These are the great virtues and values that brother Ibrahim has inked in this script and I think it will speak across borders for this generation and coming generations,” he concluded.
