ISLAMABAD: Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday on a three-day visit to strengthen ties in trade, connectivity, energy and other sectors, the Pakistani foreign office said on Monday.

Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, rooted in shared Islamic values and historical ties. Since 1957, they’ve fostered economic cooperation, defense collaborations, and cultural exchange. The Pakistan-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement of 2008 boosted trade and investment, while regular high-level visits have solidified their partnership, underpinned by mutual respect and trust.

The Malaysian prime minister will be undertaking the visit from October 2-4 on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, according to the Pakistan foreign office. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Malaysian ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials.

“Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will hold meetings with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.

“The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.”

During the visit, the Pakistani foreign office said, both sides will also discuss regional and global developments. “This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations,” it added.

Bilateral trade between both countries was recorded at $1.5 billion in 2023-24. The major exports of Pakistan to Malaysia include rice, condensate oil, onions, potatoes, home textiles, corn, seafood, and meat, palm oil and its products, petroleum, LNG, computers and laptops, nonwoven wadding, and fiberboard, according to the High Commission of Pakistan in Malaysia.

Tourism between both countries has gained momentum over the past few years and Malaysia currently ranks among the top tourist source countries to Pakistan. Around 160,000 Pakistani nationals were residing in Malaysia and over 3,800 students from Pakistan were also enrolled in Malaysian higher education institutes, making the country the third largest source of international students in Malaysia.

Pakistan is also one of the major workforce source countries for Malaysia in various key sectors including plantation, construction, manufacturing, agriculture and services, it added.

KABUL: Taliban authorities captured “key members” of the Daesh (Islamic State) group responsible for recent deadly attacks across Afghanistan, a spokesman said on Monday, blaming neighboring Pakistan for harboring the organization.
Security has generally improved since the Taliban surged back to power after winning their insurgency in 2021, however the regional chapter of the group, known as Daesh Khorasan, has emerged as the main challenge to their rule.
A sweeping security crackdown broadly quashed the number of domestic attacks but there was a string of shootings and bombings by Daesh Khorasan this summer.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said “special forces” apprehended “key members of the insurgent group” which claimed a Kabul suicide bombing that killed six people this month.
He said the suicide attacker “infiltrated Afghanistan” from a training camp in Pakistan, while others arrested in a series of raids had also “recently returned” from there.
Mujahid said the crackdown has evicted the militant group from Afghanistan but they “have established new operational bases and training camps” in Pakistan.
“From these new bases, they continue to orchestrate attacks, both within Afghanistan and in other countries,” he said.
The comments are likely to further fray relations between Kabul and Islamabad, which have suffered since the Afghan Taliban’s return.
Islamabad blames Afghanistan for rising attacks on its territory, claiming that the Taliban government is failing to put down insurgents from the Pakistani Taliban based there.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Mujahid’s statement.
Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia issued a statement last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly which “expressed deep concern over the terrorism-related security situation in Afghanistan.”
It named several groups, including Daesh, which it said were “based in Afghanistan” and “continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security.”
Daesh Khorasan was founded in 2015 and came to prominence with a bombing during America’s chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport in August 2021 that killed some 170 Afghans and 13 US troops.
Analysts say the group is pivoting to more international attacks, including the killing of more than 140 people at a Moscow concert hall and more than 90 in twin bombings in Iran.
Recruitment among Central Asian nations on Afghanistan’s northern border is also said to be spiking. Mujahid said a Tajik national was among those arrested in the raids.
Daesh Khorasan also claimed an attack in central Bamiyan in May that killed three Spanish tourists and three Afghans, and two attacks this month that killed a total of 20 people.