On 24 September 2025, His Excellency Dato’ Mohammad Azhar Mazlan, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Pakistan, gave an exclusive interview to Channel News Asia (CNA) correspondent in Pakistan, Ms. Hira Mustafa.
During the interview, H.E. Dato’ Azhar highlighted the significance of the upcoming official visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Malaysia from 5 to 7 October 2025. He emphasized that the visit would serve as a key opportunity to further strengthen economic ties, diversify bilateral cooperation, and chart new areas of collaboration between Malaysia and Pakistan.
H.E. Dato’ Azhar also underlined that Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 provides an important platform for Pakistan to engage more closely with Southeast Asia, particularly in exploring new trade and investment opportunities with ASEAN’s dynamic and rapidly growing markets. He noted that Malaysia, as a founding member of ASEAN, is committed to ensuring that its chairmanship serves as a bridge to enhance regional cooperation, including with dialogue partners such as Pakistan.
The interview also touched upon existing trade under the Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (MPCEPA), which both sides are seeking to expand. H.E. Dato’ Azhar expressed confidence that the Prime Minister’s visit will inject fresh momentum into bilateral relations and open new pathways for private sector collaboration in key sectors such as trade, investment, tourism, education, and technology.
