Kuala lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysia and Pakistan to rejuvenate their bilateral relationship and adopt a more aggressive and forward-looking policy approach. He noted that while the two countries have long-standing ties, these relations have become “somewhat stagnated” and require a renewed, practical strategy based on clear policies.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar made these remarks during his speech at the Pakistan-Malaysia Business and Investment Conference, coinciding with the official visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to Malaysia. Anwar emphasized the importance of this renewed approach for Malaysia, a trading nation, to ensure its own survival by working with existing partners and exploring new opportunities, highlighting Pakistan as a key country for future collaboration.

Both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing economic, trade, and investment cooperation. Anwar pointed out the deep cultural, educational, and intellectual connections between Malaysia and Pakistan but stressed the need for economic pragmatism in modern cooperation. He underscored the necessity of political stability, clear economic policies, and an efficient mechanism to accelerate decision-making processes, while also expanding economic resilience beyond domestic borders.

Anwar further remarked on the futility of dependency on a single country or system, advocating for stronger trade relations and a formidable ASEAN in terms of trade and investments. He highlighted the importance of expanding trade relations and partnerships to ensure sustainable growth.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also stressed the importance of the private sector in driving economic growth and maximizing the potential of Malaysia-Pakistan cooperation. He asserted that while governments can provide the foundational framework, it is the private sector that must drive growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Shehbaz encouraged companies from both countries to engage in joint ventures, business partnerships, and technology collaborations to boost regional competitiveness and innovation.

Shehbaz further explained that by establishing operations in Pakistan, businesses could gain strategic access to vast regional and global markets, including the Gulf markets, on competitive terms. He expressed confidence that through combined efforts, new horizons of trade, investment, and industrial collaboration could be unlocked, creating synergy and strengthening the bilateral relationship.