KUALA LUMPUR/ISLAMABAD: Talks between Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Malaysian counterpart Dr Mahathir Mohamad were held on Tuesday in Putrajaya city of Malaysia.
One-on-one meeting of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad starts at PM Office Putrajaya. #PMImranKhan #Malaysia pic.twitter.com/u37tZcrEZJ
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 4, 2020
Addressing a joint press conference following their talks, Prime Minister Imran said the further strengthen the ties between Pakistan and Malaysia, which he said, have traditionally been close.
“The object of the trip is to even get closer,” he said. “We feel that there the future of trading ties, investment, of cooperation between Malaysia and Pakistan is tremendous,” the premier said, adding that there is a close affinity between the people of the two countries.
He specifically thanked Malaysia for the way the country had spoken about the grave situation of human rights in Indian occupied Kashmir.
Speaking at the press conference, Mahathir said: “We agree on the need for regular discussions to strengthen trade relations by removing barriers in key areas.”
Upon his arrival, Prime Minister Imran was received by the Malaysian premier himself.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI arrives at Malaysia.
The Prime Minister was received by Minister for Defence Malaysia Mr. Mohamad Sabu and Senior Officials of the Malaysian Government upon arrival at Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. pic.twitter.com/L7MtAau9AV
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 3, 2020
Prime Minister Imran arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a two-day official visit a day earlier, on the special invitation of the Malaysian prime minister.
The premier was received by Malaysia’s Minister for Defence Mohamad Sabu and senior officials of the Malaysian government upon his arrival at Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. High Commissioner of Pakistan in Malaysia Amna Baloch and officers of the high commission were also present.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (FO), Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Commerce Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood accompanied the prime minister.
In his first engagement of the visit, Prime Minister Imran exchanged views with the Malaysian defence minister at the Kuala Lumpur airport.
PM exchanging views with Defence Minister of Malaysia Mr. Mohamad Sabu at airport.#PMImranKhan #Pakistan #Malaysia pic.twitter.com/8UpPnOBVP2
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 3, 2020
According to Radio Pakistan, the two sides are expected to sign numerous important agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
During his visit, Prime Minister Imran will also address an event organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies of Malaysia, the report said.
Imran’s visit to Malaysia comes after he decided to skip the Kuala Lumpur Summit in December last year, reportedly due to pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia, which had extended a helping hand to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government during its early days to stave off an economic crisis.
At the time, the foreign minister had confirmed that Riyadh and the UAE had concerns about the summit, saying the two countries were worried that the event could cause “division in Ummah” and lead to setting up of an organisation parallel to the existing Saudi-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Turkish media later quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that Prime Minister Imran had decided against attending the Malaysia summit because of Saudi Arabia’s threats of economic sanctions, which allegedly included withdrawing money the Kingdom has deposited in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and replacing Pakistani labour in Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshis.
However, the Saudi embassy in Islamabad had denied “information and fake news” that Riyadh had “pressurised and threatened” Pakistan to refrain from participating in the Kuala Lumpur summit, saying “the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are superior to the language of threat.”
The Foreign Office, meanwhile, had stated that Pakistan did not participate in the Kuala Lumpur summit because “time and efforts were needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries regarding possible division in the Ummah”.
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