Malaysia PM Rejects Indian Journalist’s Push to Blame Pakistan, Says India-Pakistan Issue Can Be Resolved

The exchange took place during an interview with NDTV journalist and anchor Vishnu Som, who questioned Anwar Ibrahim about the Pahalgam attack and Pakistan. The journalist first asked whether he considered Israel’s actions against Hamas to be terrorism. Anwar Ibrahim replied that he considered it state terrorism.

Vishnu Som then asked whether, on the same basis, Pakistan’s alleged actions in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir last year and its actions against India should also be described as state terrorism.

Anwar Ibrahim rejected the comparison, saying he would not go that far. He noted that the issue was highly sensitive in India and said he had a close friendship with Modi, while Malaysia also had relations with Pakistan. He added that he believed the issue could be resolved.

The Indian anchor then told the Malaysian prime minister that he was being very diplomatic and asked why he was avoiding directly condemning Pakistan over terrorism.

Anwar Ibrahim responded that he was not saying that terrorism had not occurred, but said his intelligence establishment had not told him that there had been state terrorism against India. He said that as Malaysian prime minister, he would present the facts available to him.

The interview took place as Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India, along with the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, attracted attention during the BRICS summit. Malaysia is not a permanent BRICS member but is attending the two-day summit as a partner country.

The joint declaration issued at the BRICS summit condemned last year’s incident in Pahalgam, a tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir. India had blamed Pakistan for the attack, while Pakistan rejected the allegation and called for an impartial investigation.

During the interview, Anwar Ibrahim was also asked whether the two countries had discussed the exchange of alleged suspects during his visit. He said the issue had been discussed in private meetings but that Malaysia wanted to continue discussing the matter privately.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Indian scholar Zakir Naik lives in Malaysia. India has accused him of hate speech and money laundering and has sought his extradition.

During his India visit, Anwar Ibrahim also met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

At a dinner hosted for BRICS leaders on Saturday evening, Anwar Ibrahim was also seen singing the Kishore Kumar song Khwab Ho Ya Tum Koi Haqeeqat alongside a singer present at the event.

Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on Pakistan subsequently became a topic of discussion on social media in India.

Ashok Swain, an analyst associated with Sweden’s Uppsala University, wrote on X that the Malaysian prime minister had spoken contrary to the expectations of Modi’s media in India. He said Anwar Ibrahim described Israel as supporting terrorism, but when asked whether Pakistan was sponsoring terrorism, he answered no.

An X user named Agnika criticized the response as a double standard, arguing that leaders who condemn terrorism according to their own convenience should not expect questions to always be soft.

Another user, Mohsin Ali, said the Indian media’s focus on Pakistan remained intense and criticized Vishnu Som’s questioning of the Malaysian prime minister.

Subhan Javed wrote that Malaysia was a close friend of Pakistan and the wider Muslim world, arguing that Anwar Ibrahim, like former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, would not turn against Pakistan despite Malaysia’s trade volume with India being several times larger than its trade with Pakistan.

Another X user, Samarth, said Anwar Ibrahim’s position appeared strange, arguing that the Malaysian prime minister described Israel as a state supporting terrorism but adopted a diplomatic position when questioned about Pakistan.

The exchange has added further attention to the diplomatic dynamics surrounding the BRICS summit, particularly as India seeks international support over its allegations against Pakistan while other countries maintain their own positions on the issue.