"We also admire you for your stand against corruption," the prime minister told Mohamad.
The premier said that all Muslims across the world are blamed for any crime committed by any Muslim. He held Islamophobia responsible for the New Zealand terror attacks.
The Malaysian premier said that the two countries can "exchange information on how to combat corruption in our countries".
Talking about the Muslim block he regretted that here was not a single Muslim country that can be considered as developed. He said that Malaysia had planned to become developed by 2030 but unfortunately due to changes in the government it became a target impossible to achieve.
Mohamad, while talking about the bilateral relations, said he believed that increased trade between the two countries will enhance the bilateral relationship.
"We need to identify what you can sell to us and what we can sell to you," he said.
Earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was given a welcome reception at Prime Minister House in Islamabad in the morning. The premier arrived in Pakistan yesterday on a three-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
As the welcome reception kicked off, the national anthems of both countries were played and the visiting dignitary was given a Guard of Honour by a contingent of the armed forces.
He is expected to hold a meeting with President Arif Alvi and a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Khan, followed by delegation-level talks today.
The two prime ministers are scheduled to speak at the roundtable meeting of the chief executive officers, who desire to invest in Pakistan’s automobile and telecommunication sectors.
The Pak-Malaysia Business Leaders’ Roundtable Conference will be held this afternoon, while an investiture ceremony is to be held at Aiwan-i-Sadr this evening. The Malaysian prime minister will be awarded a Nishan-i-Pakistan, the highest civil honour in the country.
$900m deals to be signed
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering $800-$900 million worth of investments with Malaysian investors will be signed today, covering deals in IT, telecom, power generation, textile, agriculture, and halal food industries. More than 25 heads of top Malaysian companies are accompanying the Malaysian prime minister.
Board of Investment Chairman Haroon Sharif said yesterday that joint venture agreements would be signed in the telecom, auto and halal food sectors, adding that after the prime minister's visit to Malaysia, business-to-business partnership was moving ahead and now is the time to consolidate it.
The visit of Malaysian investors is a signal of a major shift in the present government’s policy to expand economic and trade relations with other countries.
PM’s Adviser on Investment Razak Dawood said yesterday that the advantage of having trade and investment ties with Malaysia would be to enter markets of East Asian countries since Malaysia's inroad to Asean is much better. Dawood explained that Malaysian investors are long-term players and would like to see a good market share for their country in the region.
Malaysia offers an opportunity for Pakistan to open up the Asean market for trade and investment through strategic partnerships. Asean is a market of estimated 651 million people, with an estimated GDP of $3 trillion and high human development index.
Pakistan is gearing up to tap into one of the largest commercial hubs of the world – Asean, which has goods trade volume of around $2.6 trillion, services of volume of around $703 billion and $136 billion in foreign direct investment.
Tags:
National