UPDATES WITH REMARKS ON GAZA, LEBANON DURING JOINT PRESS STAKEOUT; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE
By Islamuddin Sajid and Aamir Latif
ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan and Malaysia on Thursday slammed Israel over its continued genocide in Gaza and invasion of Lebanon, calling upon the international community to shun “hypocrisy” and “selective justice.”
Addressing a joint press stakeout in the capital Islamabad along with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif called for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon.
“In contemporary history, there is no parallel to this kind of genocide and carnage,” Sharif said.
Anwar, for his part, observed that the conflict in Gaza is not a war between two countries, but it is completely “intransigence” and “aggression”, disregarding all fundamental rules of the international order.
“The problem is more precarious, of course, now with the extended war and aggression into Lebanon and the continued genocide in Gaza and the West Bank,” he went on to say.
“And you have seen, not only in constant inconsistency, but hypocrisy, many so-called civilized countries, talking about human rights and freedom, but certainly being very selective in the decisions,” Anwar maintained.
On the Jammu and Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, he said Kuala Lumpur is committed to supporting the UN Security Council resolutions on the long-smoldering issue as “human rights concerns are our concerns.”
“We pray that this issue be amicably resolved,” the Malaysian prime minister said.
Earlier, the two leaders discussed bilateral and regional issues and agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, military and defense, tourism, agriculture and other fields.
Anwar welcomed Pakistan’s continued engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and expressed support for further engagement between Islamabad and the Southeast Asian bloc.
Malaysia will assume the chair of the ASEAN next year.
The two prime ministers also witnessed the exchange of signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and a letter of cooperation.
On Wednesday, Anwar along with a high-level delegation arrived in the capital Islamabad, on his maiden trip since taking office in November 2022.
Kuala Lumpur and Islamabad shared a bilateral trade volume of $1.5 billion in 2023-24 amid an increase in mutual trade over the past six years.
Pakistan’s exports to Malaysia were $461.96 million in 2023, while Malaysian exports to Islamabad were $961.44 million during the same period.
Malaysia mainly exports palm oil, petroleum gas, and margarine to Pakistan, whereas Islamabad exports rice, corn, textiles, and vegetable products to Kuala Lumpur.
The two sides have also signed a Free Trade Agreement aside from various other memorandums of understanding and agreements across diverse domains.