Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad here on Friday to strengthen bilateral economic and commercial ties.
The deliberations are part of Malaysian Prime Minister's ongoing 3-day visit to the Muslim-majority nation. He arrived in Islamabad on Thursday.
We deliberated on ways to enhance our economic relationship with Pakistan and there is no doubt that both of us stand to benefit from increased trade, Mahathir said during a joint press conference addressed by the two leaders.
He said that they have discussed the possibility of foreign direct investment and outlined other measures that the two nations need to take to boost trade.
Appreciating the Malaysian Prime Minister's stance against corruption and the country's development under his leadership, Khan said, "we firmly believe that nations are not poor and, rather, it is corruption that leads to a loss of resources. Corruption destroys institutions and negates efforts for human development.
The two leaders also spoke against rising Islamophobia and agreed to take steps to address this issue.
This is our priority. We must work to improve the perception of Muslims in the world. We must change the prevailing atmosphere of fear; we must also realise that fighting back does not always mean killing each other, Mahathir said.
Mahathir, 93, will be the guest of honour at Pakistan Day Parade on Saturday. He said, I am happy to join you in celebrating Pakistan Day.
The two sides are also expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding worth USD 800-900 million of investments by Malaysian investors during the visit.
The two premiers would also speak at the round table meeting of the chief executive officers, who are interested to invest in Pakistan's automobile and telecommunication sectors.
The Malaysian Prime Minister will also meet President Arif Alvi and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
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