Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that Pakistan and Malaysia had agreed to expand cooperation in defence, trade, and emerging technologies after what he described as “highly productive” discussions with his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, in Putrajaya.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Shehbaz highlighted Malaysia’s expertise in technology, IT, and artificial intelligence, stressing that Pakistan was keen to learn from Malaysia’s experience and pursue joint ventures for mutual benefit. He welcomed Malaysia’s decision to import $200 million worth of meat from Pakistan, pledging that his government would meet all required standards. He also expressed optimism about further boosting agricultural trade, noting Malaysia’s growing import of Pakistani rice.
The prime minister lauded the Urdu translation of Anwar Ibrahim’s book Script, calling it a framework for sustainability, mutual respect, innovation, research, and prosperity. Praising Anwar’s “visionary leadership,” Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to empowering its youth with modern knowledge and strengthening ties with Malaysia for shared growth.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, recalling the “historic fraternal relations” between the two countries, underlined the importance of economic cooperation as a cornerstone of bilateral ties. He expressed Malaysia’s willingness to facilitate beef imports from Pakistan and emphasized the potential for collaboration in emerging technologies. Anwar also commended Pakistan’s principled stance on Palestine, noting that both nations supported peace and justice in the region.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Perdana Putra Complex, where he inspected contingents of the Malaysian armed forces. Following the ceremony, the two leaders held one-on-one and delegation-level talks, introducing their respective delegations before signing multiple memorandums of understanding.
The agreements covered cooperation in higher education, tourism, halal certification, anti-corruption initiatives, and small and medium enterprises. Both sides also discussed expanding ties in areas including trade, investment, telecom, the halal industry, energy, infrastructure, the digital economy, and people-to-people exchanges.
Shehbaz is on a three-day official visit to Malaysia, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi. On arrival in Kuala Lumpur, he was received by Malaysian Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil and Pakistan’s High Commissioner Syed Ahsan Raza Shah. The visit, officials said, is expected to inject “new impetus” into Pakistan-Malaysia relations and broaden cooperation in strategic and future-focused sectors.
The two leaders also recalled past high-level exchanges, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Pakistan last year, during which he was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan for his role in strengthening Islamic brotherhood and bilateral cooperation.
Pakistan and Malaysia are linked through the Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (MPCEPA), signed in 2007. The agreement regulates trade in goods and services, investment, and cooperation across sectors including healthcare, tourism, telecom, intellectual property, and construction.
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