Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on a two-day official tour of Malaysia on November 20, Radio Pakistan reported citing Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal.

PM Khan, according to the national radio network, will become the first head of the state to visit the Southeast Asian country since Mahathir Mohammad became the Malaysian PM for a second time, earlier this year.

Radio Pakistan further reported that PM Khan and his Malaysian counterpart will hold a one-on-one meeting before the two countries' delegations delve into detailed discussions.

The prime minister's visit to Malaysia will be the last of his trio of planned foreign visits since assuming the top office.

The prime minister has already been to Saudi Arabia and China, both of whom had assured him of financial assistance in the face of Pakistan's mounting balance of payments crisis.

On October 18, PM Khan and Malaysian PM Mahathir had held a telephonic conversation, in which the former had emphasised Pakistan's "close and cordial" relations with Malaysia.

PM Khan, highlighting the "need of high-level bilateral exchanges" between the two countries, had said that Pakistan and Malaysia should collaborate at an "operational level" so that they could benefit from each other's expertise.

FM Qureshi meets Malaysian HC

Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ikram Bin Mohammad Ibrahim called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who expressed his desire to reinforce the two countries' relationship in "political and economic spheres" — Radio Pakistan reported.

During the meeting, FM Qureshi noted that "Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy close and cordial relations which are deep-rooted in common belief, heritage and history".

The foreign minister exchanged ideas on how to further bolster "trade, investment, and people-to-people contacts" between the two nations.