Malaysia, Pakistan discuss ways to enhance trade

"Bilateral trade volumes between Pakistan and Malaysia could be increased by exploring new avenues of cooperation," says Malaysian high commissioner ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID 

ISLAMABAD: “Pakistan was the second-largest trading partner of Malaysia in South East Asia last year. Therefore, both countries should make efforts to take these relations to a new level by aggressively exploring opportunities for joint ventures in various sectors,” Malaysian High Commissioner Dr Hasrul Sani Bin Mujtabar has said. He made these remarks in a meeting with the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Yassar Sakhi Butt.

Mujtabar said that Pakistan produces good quality and affordable agricultural products. Pakistani rice and mangoes have especially great demand in Malaysian markets, while Malaysia complements this with its expertise and access to ASEAN free trade agreements, he remarked.

The Malaysian high commissioner was optimistic that bilateral trade volumes between Pakistan and Malaysia could be increased by exploring new avenues of cooperation. He also assured that his country would increase the volume of imports of Pakistani agricultural products, which he said would also improve bilateral trade relations further between the two countries.

While speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Yassar Sakhi Butt said that the current increase in bilateral trade between Pakistan and Malaysia followed the signing of a Free Trade Agreemeent between the two countries in 2007. But, he continued, Pakistan’s share in bilateral trade is only $257 million, which has tilted the balance of trade heavily in favour of Malaysia. He stressed that there is a dire need to address this imbalance through increasing export of Pakistani products to Malaysia.

Butt called on the Malaysian business community to take advantage of the vast Pakistani market and explore investment opportunities in agriculture, construction, livestock and dairy, energy, education, IT and the Halal industry sectors.

Butt was of the view that organising joint cultural events was an option which could be used to bring the people of both nations closer to each other, as well as exploit untapped bilateral trade and investment potential in both countries.

Pakistan, US ready to resume strategic dialogue

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss revival of strategic dialogue and mutual understanding on drone attacks, during a meeting in Washington this week.

Official sources told Daily Times on Sunday that the two issues – resumption of the stalled strategic dialogue between the two countries and the drone strikes – were important for the two countries and would certainly be discussed.

Sources in the Pakistani Foreign Office said the issue of drone strikes would be discussed at the highest level with the US officials, adding that some understanding on the issue was also likely.

The US Embassy in Islamabad confirmed that talks on resumption of strategic dialogue would be held between Pakistani and US officials when Khar would be in Washington this week. The embassy’s spokeswoman Rian Harris told Daily Times, “Yes a group is already working on that and the discussions would be held in this connection with Pakistani officials in Washington.”

Diplomatic sources said that work on resumption of the dialogue was almost complete but certain details are awaited.

The Foreign Office has already officially announced that Khar will pay an official visit to the United States from September 18-22.

She will later proceed to New York to join a delegation led by President Asif Ali Zardari to participate in the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly session.

In the Washington leg of the visit, the foreign minister will hold bilateral meetings with the US secretary of state, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Trade Representative Ron Krik and other senior officials.

The last round of the strategic dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2010 in Washington. But after that a number of incidents like the Raymond Davis issue, raid in Abbottabad, Salala attack, which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, caused deterioration in the ties between the two countries.

This year after resumption of NATO supply, which was suspended after the Salala incident in November last year, there were rumours that the dialogue would resume soon.

Officials on both sides say the stalled process of dialogue would be restarted to make development on important civil and security areas, including economy and trade, energy, defence, security, strategic stability and non-proliferation, with law enforcement and counter-terrorism being on the top.

Thousands rally in Pakistan against anti-Islam film

Pakistani police fire tear gas shells toward the Shia Muslim protesters during a rally against an anti-Islam movie in Karachi on September 16, 2012. 

KARACHI: Thousands of people rallied across Pakistan on Sunday to denounce an anti-Islam film with protestors burning US flags and effigies of President Barack Obama, and calling to sever ties with Washington.

At least eight people were injured when protestors clashed with police outside the US consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, officials said.

Police fired bullets in the air and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 1,000 people at the rally organised by a Shia religious organisation, according to an AFP photographer.

At one stage protestors broke through security cordons and got close to the heavily guarded US consulate, pelting the building with stones.

They chanted “Down with America”, “We will sacrifice our lives to safeguard the honour of the Prophet” and “Hang the film maker.” City police Chief Iqbal Mehmood told AFP at least 20 people were arrested.

Richard Silver, a spokesman for the US consulate, said there had been no damage or injury to any personnel at the mission.

Also in Karachi some 1,500 people joined a rally organised by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).

Elsewhere in Pakistan, more than 6,000 people gathered in the eastern city of Lahore to condemn the movie, according to local police estimates.

Organised by the banned charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is seen as a front for the Lashkar-i-Taiba terror group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the protest remained peaceful.

Addressing the rally, Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed demanded US diplomats be expelled from Pakistan and accused the US of conspiring against Muslims.

He also announced plans to hold a long march towards Islamabad on the issue but did not give any date.
In the southwestern city of Quetta, the JUI and pro-government Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz (BMM) party held separate demonstrations, in total attended by over 1,000 people.

In the central city of Multan, more than 600 local traders held a rally and burnt effigies of the film-maker and controversial US pastor Terry Jones, who has promoted the film.

Some 500 protestors also rallied in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the local chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi, described the movie as “shameful”.

The low-budget movie, entitled “Innocence of Muslims”, has sparked fury across the Islamic world for mocking the Prophet Mohammed, and for portraying Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent.

Police have beefed up security around US missions in Pakistan after violent attacks on American consulates and embassies in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.