PM Shehbaz, COAS Asim Munir to visit Malaysia in May

ISLAMABAD: High Commissioner Dato’ Muhammad Azhar Mazlan has expressed the hope that ties between his country Malaysia and Pakistan would grow further in the wake of a significant visit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir in May. He said that before that visit, a high-level delegation would visit his country next month.

Talking to the media after assuming chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the High Commission, the high commissioner termed the visit of his Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Pakistan in October last productive, successful and beneficial for both countries.

He underscored Malaysia’s commitment to fostering stronger ties within the ASEAN community and beyond, particularly with Pakistan. He reminded that Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 is a pivotal moment as the region marks the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN community. Under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” Malaysia aims to strengthen ASEAN’s role as a people-centred, forward-looking and resilient organisation, he said.

High Commissioner Azhar Mazlan said that Malaysia’s chairmanship would focus on enhancing ASEAN centrality by promoting strategic trust, sustained dialogue and diplomacy among nations.

The high commissioner said that Malaysia had reaffirmed its commitment to expediting the admission of Timor-Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN, further strengthening regional unity.

To a query that Pakistan currently has an observer status in the ASEAN and it is desirous of joining it as a dialogue partner, he said Malaysia supported it but moratorium on expansion of the organisation was hindering it currently.

He said Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 is not just about diplomacy but it is about building a shared future of peace, prosperity, and mutual respect. The high commissioner reaffirmed Malaysia’s dedication to strengthening Pakistan-Malaysia relations and ASEAN’s collective growth.