Pakistan, Malaysia deepen economic ties with $200m halal meat agreement

October 07, 2025 (MLN): Pakistan and Malaysia have reaffirmed their shared resolve to further expand bilateral cooperation, with a particular focus on strengthening economic and trade relations, investment, and collaboration across emerging sectors.

A major highlight of the engagement was Malaysia’s decision to enhance the import quota of Halal meat from Pakistan to $200 million, showing growing confidence in Pakistan’s export potential and quality standards.

The commitment was expressed during a productive and forward looking meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the steady progress in bilateral ties since Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Pakistan in October last year.

The two sides agreed to accelerate joint efforts in key growth areas, including information technology, telecommunications, the Halal industry, automotive manufacturing, green energy, electronics, tourism, higher education, agriculture, and climate change.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the expanded trade commitments and expressed Pakistan’s readiness to meet all regulatory and quality standards set by Malaysia, terming the new meat export agreement “a milestone in Pakistan’s Halal industry growth and South-South economic cooperation.”

Both leaders also held in-depth discussions on regional and international developments, including the situation in the Middle East.

The Malaysian Prime Minister commended Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for peace in Palestine and the broader region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz emphasized the importance of cooperation at multilateral forums, such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), particularly on issues impacting the Muslim world.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and thanked Malaysia for its consistent support for a peaceful resolution in line with UN resolutions.

The two leaders discussed Pakistan’s engagement with ASEAN, as Malaysia assumes the chairmanship of the regional bloc.

Prime Minister Shehbaz thanked Anwar Ibrahim for reaffirming Malaysia’s support for Pakistan’s bid to become a full dialogue partner of ASEAN, stressing Islamabad’s interest in deepening its East Asian partnerships.

During the visit, both prime ministers jointly introduced the Urdu translation of Anwar Ibrahim’s book “SCRIPT”, which outlines his vision of leadership, sustainability, innovation, and social harmony.

Prime Minister Shehbaz praised the Malaysian leader’s intellectual contribution, describing the book as “a guiding framework for progress, compassion and mutual respect.”

The visit also saw the exchange of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering cooperation in diplomatic training, higher education, tourism, Halal certification, anti-corruption, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the “warm hospitality and exceptional arrangements” extended by the Malaysian government, noting that both sides “converge on nearly all key regional and economic issues.”

In his remarks, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed Malaysia’s intent to deepen cooperation with Pakistan, highlighting new opportunities in technology, artificial intelligence and innovation-driven growth.

He said Malaysia will continue to facilitate the import of Pakistani rice and beef, and emphasized the importance of expanding economic connectivity between the two nations.

The two leaders agreed to remain in close consultation to ensure the timely implementation of decisions taken during the high-level meeting and to maintain coordination on global and regional developments.

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