Malaysian envoy lauds Pak anti-terror efforts

Says his country is third-largest foreign investor in Pakistan after China and UK

ISLAMABAD: High Commissioner of Malaysia Ikram Mohamed Ibrahim has said Pakistan has made significant strides in combating terrorism towards achieving durable peace and security in the country.

“While the terrorism threats have indeed significantly been reduced, we commend the Pakistani security agencies for remaining vigilant to prevent any possible terrorist attacks,” the Malaysian high commissioner said this in an interview with DNA.

He further said that addressing the root causes of terrorism is indispensable and in this regard intra-regional cooperation remains a key component and should continue to be pursued.

Malaysia too had to overcome acts and threats of terror by the Communists from 1948 until 1989. The four-decade Malaysian experience in combating and eventually eliminating terrorism had shown that a military approach alone was insufficient.

The soft approach of winning the hearts and minds of the populace concerned as well as close collaboration with our immediate neighbouring countries were pivotal in that regard, he added.

While talking about various visa regime the high commissioner said, recently introduced visa regime of Pakistan is a welcome move and signifies a fresh posturing by Pakistan in its renewed desire to encourage greater people-to-people interaction.  

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2019.