Mahathir Mohamad conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, on Friday conferred the country’s highest civilian award ‘Nishan-e-Pakistan’ on Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during a ceremony at the President House, ARY News reported.

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, federal ministers, parliamentarians and other dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahathir Mohamad said he was grateful to the government of Pakistan for inviting him and conferring him with the top civilian award of the country.

He remarked that the people of Pakistan and Malaysia were well aware of the cultures of the two countries.

“Malaysia wants to promote ties with Pakistan in every sector,” he stated.

He said investments between the two countries would be beneficial in the long-run on economic front.

In his address, Dr Arif Alvi said Pakistan and Malaysia had brotherly relations.

With the sacrifices of our people, we managed to eliminate the menace of terrorism, said Dr. Alvi.

Read: Pakistan desirous to learn from Malaysia’s model for economic success: PM Khan

He said extremism begets several ills in the society. He underlined that Pakistan hosted 3.5 million Afghan refugees.

The president remarked that restoration of peace, for any country, was essential for economic stability.

“Imran Khan delivered the message of peace soon after taking reins of the country,” said Dr. Arif Alvi.

The Malaysian premier is on a three-day visit to Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and will be the guest of honour at the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23.

Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed Mahathir Mohamad as he landed in Pakistan yesterday. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khusro Bakhtiar and other ministers were also present on the occasion.

A 21-gun salute was given to PM Mahathir upon his arrival at the Prime Minister House.