Islamabad, January 19, 2026: Dato Muhammad Azhar Mazlan, Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan, emphasized the need to further strengthen Pakistan–Malaysia economic relations by expanding cooperation in trade, investment, and people-to-people linkages, particularly in emerging and high-potential sectors.
He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation from the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), led by President Sardar Tahir Mehmood, at the Malaysian High Commission on Monday. The delegation also included Senior Vice President Tahir Ayub, Vice President Irfan Chaudhry, and Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Convener of the ICCI Standing Committee on ASEAN.
The High Commissioner appreciated ICCI’s proactive role in promoting business-to-business engagement and reaffirmed Malaysia’s strong commitment to deepening economic collaboration with Pakistan. He described Pakistan as a key economic partner and stressed the importance of enhanced interaction between the private sectors of both countries, expressing his intention to visit ICCI soon for direct engagement with Islamabad’s business community. Both sides agreed to pursue collaborative efforts to increase bilateral trade to $3–4 billion.
Highlighting longstanding and cordial bilateral relations, ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood noted Malaysia’s significant commercial presence in Pakistan, particularly in palm oil, telecom, education, and the halal sector. He emphasized the need to diversify Pakistan’s exports toward value-added goods and services and identified the halal industry as a priority area for collaboration, proposing joint halal certification standards, halal parks, food processing facilities, and expanded meat exports.
The ICCI delegation also highlighted cooperation opportunities in IT and the digital economy, real estate, low-cost housing, and agriculture through joint ventures and structured B2B matchmaking to accelerate partnerships. Senior Vice President Tahir Ayub stressed the potential to enhance agro-based exports, including mangoes, citrus, and other high-value produce, through value addition. Vice President Irfan Chaudhry underscored the importance of stronger institutional linkages and regular business exchanges to translate goodwill into tangible economic outcomes.
Both sides proposed organizing a Pakistan–Malaysia Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur, sector-specific virtual B2B meetings, signing an MoU between ICCI and Malaysian chambers, and establishing a joint working group to ensure effective follow-up and implementation. The Malaysian High Commissioner was formally invited to visit ICCI and engage directly with Islamabad’s business community.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to work closely to convert discussions into concrete trade and investment opportunities, encouraging Malaysian entrepreneurs to register as ICCI members.
