*ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan and Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad discussed the atrocities in Indian-administered Kashmir and the reasons for the Pakistani premier skipping the Kuala Lumpur conference in December 2019* *during their meeting on Tuesday.*
PM Khan arrived in Kuala Lumpur Monday night and he was received by Malaysian Minister for Defence Mohamad Sabu and senior officials of the Malaysian government at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“Traditionally, Pakistan and Malaysia have been very close but the object of this trip is for us to becoming closer,” said PM Khan while addressing a joint press conference Tuesday morning. “There is a close affinity between the people of the two countries.
The premier added that he specifically wants to talk about the discussion he had with Mahathir over the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. “A very radical and extremist government has taken over India. They have put the people in Kashmir in an open prison for the last six months.”
Kashmiri leaders have been put in jails and many teenagers have started disappearing. “I want to thank the Malaysian PM for standing with us and supporting us over this issue.”
The PM then spoke about the controversy surrounding his decision to skip the Kuala Lumpur Summit.
“I was really sad that I couldn’t attend the conference in Kuala Lumpur, because our friends, who are also close to Pakistan, felt the conference would divide the Muslim Ummah,” he explained. But, after it was held it became very clear that was not the purpose of the summit.
“I was looking forward to attending it because I feel the Muslim countries need to educate the Western and other countries about Islam and remove all misconceptions about our religion,” he added. “We have to tell them about the real message of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).”
We need a joint media venture to project a positive role of Islam and fight Islamophobia, the PM remarked.
The Malaysian PM, on the other hand, spoke about the willingness of the two countries to form closer trade and bilateral ties.
“We reaffirmed the Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economy Partnership signed on November 8, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur and agreed on the need to hold regular discussions and strengthen trade relations,” he said.