Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed Pakistan’s desire to strengthen economic ties with Malaysia through joint ventures and mutually beneficial initiatives, highlighting technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation as key areas of collaboration.
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister said both sides had held “very productive discussions” covering a wide range of bilateral and international issues. “I am very happy that our views converge on almost all important matters,” he said.
PM Shehbaz emphasized that Pakistan stood to benefit from Malaysia’s expertise in advanced technology and economic growth. “Pakistan wants to join hands with Malaysia, not only to benefit from your experience, but to have joint ventures, mutually beneficial projects, where Malaysian and Pakistani expertise can come together,” he stated.
The premier also noted that around 150,000 Pakistanis living in Malaysia were contributing to national development and acting as a bridge between the two countries. He added that such connections provided “encouragement and hope” for building stronger economies on a win-win basis.
During the presser, PM Shehbaz also lauded the Urdu translation of PM Anwar Ibrahim’s book Script, which highlights sustainability, innovation, and research as guiding principles for future generations.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Ibrahim welcomed Pakistan’s push for cooperation in information technology and STEM fields, noting that Pakistan historically had strong expertise in these areas. He also thanked Pakistan for its consistent stance on the Palestinian issue, particularly its opposition to Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz was accorded a guard of honour at the Perdana Putra Complex. He arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for his official visit, during which several agreements and MoUs are expected to be signed to enhance cooperation in trade, IT and telecom, halal industry, education, energy, investment, infrastructure, and the digital economy.
The visit, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, also aims to explore new opportunities to strengthen people-to-people linkages between the two countries.
