His Excellency Ambassador Mohammad Azhar Mazlan

As we ushered in the New Year 2024, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest greetings to the people and the government of Pakistan, the diplomatic community, and the ASEAN fraternity in Islamabad. It is with a great sense of honour that I write this article on the very topic that is close to my heart, i.e. Malaysia-Pakistan relationship, looking towards 2024 while reflecting on 2023.

Over the past year, Malaysia and Pakistan have been witnessing growing engagements in multifaceted areas, including political, economic and trade, defence and security, tourism and education, health, human resources, and public administration. Both countries have elevated our relations to a strategic partnership in March 2019. The prospect of 2024 for our two brotherly nations forging ahead hand in hand towards peace, progress and prosperity offers a future full of hope and optimism for our nations and its peoples.

Since my arrival in Pakistan a year ago, the generous hospitality and warm reception extended to my spouse, and I not only reflected the strong ties and commonalities between our two nations but also it touches our hearts at a personal level. It was truly heartening for us to witness the tremendous goodwill, respect, and genuine connections between the people of Malaysia and Pakistan. And for that, thank you Pakistan!

I wish to cite some of 2023’s highlights between Malaysia and Pakistan. Both Prime Ministers, the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and His Excellency Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Prime Minister of Pakistan met in November 2023, at the sidelines of the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh.

During their meeting, apart from discussing our common position on Palestinian-Israeli conflict, both leaders took stock of Malaysia-Pakistan bilateral relationship, with a particular emphasis on enhancing economic ties. The two leaders agreed to revitalize the Joint Commission Meeting at the Ministerial level to be held possibly in 2024 at a mutually agreed date.

Earlier in March 2023, Malaysia and Pakistan convened the 2nd Bilateral Consultations at the Deputy Secretary-General’s level of the Foreign Ministry. Both sides discussed wide ranging topics, among others, from political and security, cooperation in trade and investment, science and technology, health, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

On defence and military cooperation, Malaysia and Pakistan co-hosted the 14th Meeting of Pakistan-Malaysia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) in November 2023 in Islamabad. During this meeting, His Excellency Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence, led the Malaysian delegation. This visit underscores the strategic alliance and shared commitment between the two nations to further enhance security ties.

As we look forward to the year 2024, our economic landscape is promising. Malaysia-Pakistan annual bilateral trade volume has surpassed USD 1.8 billion. I believe this figure presents an enormous room and opportunities for both sides to further strengthen trade and investment, especially in intensifying collaboration in, among others, the palm oil and the halal industry for mutual benefit of our two nations and peoples.

For the cooperation in halal industry, Malaysia has set a target of USD 12 billion for export revenue in the halal food industry by 2025 to benefit from the global halal food market. Currently, Malaysia’s exports in the halal industry are USD 7.65 billion. I see there are huge opportunities for cooperation in the halal food market. This sector in Malaysia has an extensive network of value-added industries and multinational companies such as Nestlé and Unilever that could connect Pakistan to the global supply chain and huge markets like ASEAN.

Both Malaysia and Pakistan also have strength in the agriculture sector. There is immense potential for collaboration, especially in the palm oil industry. Malaysia, as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of palm oil, while Pakistan, with its growing sizable population and increasing consumption, presents a significant market.

Establishing a robust trade relationship in palm oil will contribute to food security in Pakistan while supporting Malaysia’s palm oil industry. This collaboration can be strategically aligned with sustainable and ethical practices of palm oil production championed by Malaysia through the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification Scheme. Currently, Malaysia accounted for 25.8% and 34.3% of the world’s palm oil production and exports, respectively.

Additionally, I would like to highlight that trade engagement between companies from both sides were vibrant and multifaceted. Among others, during the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) held in Kuala Lumpur in August 2023, 11 Pakistani companies participated in the event, while five (5) Malaysian companies participated in the ASEAN Trade Show hosted by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also in August 2023. I look forward to and expect more active and productive exchanges in 2024.

On the High Commission’s side, my team and I have been actively engaged in dialogues and strategic sessions with not only senior federal and provincial officials but also various prominent trade and commerce chambers in key economic hubs across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Lahore, Mardan, and Okara.

These engagements were instrumental in setting a robust connection and further strengthening relationship for Malaysia within the specific region in Pakistan. In line with this effort, it is timely for Malaysian companies to utilize Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to further diversify economic activities between our two nations. I also would like to encourage Pakistani investors to invest in Malaysia in various areas, taking advantage of Malaysia’s conducive environment and central location in the heart of the Southeast Asian region.

In terms of capacity building, Pakistan is one of the recipient countries for the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP). Since its establishment in 1980, 764 participants from Pakistan have benefited from a range of MTCP courses covering diverse areas comprising Islamic tourism, anti-corruption, counterterrorism, palm oil industry, Islamic finance, technical training, and the halal industry. In August

2023, I had the opportunity to host a dinner with former Pakistani MTCP participants to further engage and expand future efforts in technical cooperation.

In higher education, as of December 2023, there are over 5,000 Pakistani students currently enrolled in Malaysian public and private higher education institutions. It is my fervent hope that more Pakistani students will choose Malaysia as their preferred destination for studies. I want to assure Pakistani parents and aspiring students that the facilities and the environment in Malaysia are top-notch, as we offer quality education, cultural richness, and a comfortable and Islamic-friendly environment for Pakistani students.

On the other hand, I am pleased to note the positive developments in people- to-people connections and tourism activities between Malaysia and Pakistan, particularly in the promotion of highland tourist destinations. These destinations have attracted immense interest among adventure and pleasure seekers in Malaysia.

Drawing from my own experience, highland destinations such as those in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, including the Himalayas, Karakoram Range, and Hindu Kush Mountains, could be further promoted. The development could take inspiration from the Malaysian experience of developing our highlands namely Genting and Cameron Highlands as a tourism and amusement hub. I can assure you that the majority of Malaysians are highly interested in visiting Pakistan, especially its hidden gem of majestic rivers and mountains.

I would like to share that, during Pakistan’s 1st International Tourism Investment Expo 2023 in August 2023, Malaysia’s tourism booth received more than 1,000 local visitors and the majority expressed interest in visiting Malaysia. For 2023, Malaysia has received a total of 26 million tourists from all over the world. This is the highest number of tourist arrivals among countries in Southeast Asia.

In this regard, I would like to invite Pakistanis to visit and enjoy Malaysia’s tourism destinations. Malaysia is home to world-class islands, golden beaches, blue sea, and pristine rainforests as well as having one of the highest skyscrapers in the world right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.

On air connectivity, in November 2023, Malaysian owned airline Batik Air (formerly known as Malindo Air) launched a new direct air route Kuala Lumpur to Karachi sector flying thrice weekly. This is apart from the weekly flights for Kuala Lumpur to Lahore sector. I am confident that with seamless connectivity, it would further enhance people-to-people contacts as well as business engagements between our two countries.

On regional cooperation, Malaysia stands committed to further strengthening closer and meaningful ties between Pakistan and ASEAN. The coming years hold immense promise for ASEAN. As the outgoing Chair of ASEAN Committee in Islamabad (May 2023 to January 2024), I am optimistic that our collective efforts will contribute to the prosperity of the entire region and beyond.

The ASEAN region, with a combined young dynamic population base of 670 million, has immense potential. Evidently, Pakistan, with its 240-million population, offers a huge market for ASEAN and vice versa. With an aggregate GDP exceeding USD 3 trillion, ASEAN is now ranked as the fifth-largest economy globally, poised to move up to the fourth spot by 2050.

While Pakistan is forecasted to be the 16th largest economy by 2050. Over the years, ASEAN-Pakistan cooperation has expanded in key sectors, including trade and investment, agriculture, education, culture and tourism, capacity building, and technical cooperation. In 2022, the total trade between ASEAN and Pakistan approached a significant milestone of USD 11 billion. Considering the immense potential, I am optimistic that the figure could increase to USD 20 billion by 2030.

To conclude, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people and government of Pakistan for their generous hospitality and close cooperation. The year 2023 has been a year marked by achievements, challenges, trials and tribulations as well as new opportunities between Malaysia and Pakistan.

With renewed hope and optimism, I look forward to the continued peace, progress and prosperity of our two nations and the community of nations in the years to come. Premised on peaceful coexistence among the international community,

together, let us build a better world for our next generation by working hand in hand to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation for our mutual benefit. My sincere best wishes for a brighter and promising future. Thank You.