Decision on PM Khan's Malaysia visit to be taken in accordance with national interest: top aide

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon decide whether to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit hosted by his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad this week, a decision that has not gone down well with Islamabad's close ally Saudi Arabia, according to a media report on Monday.

The Kuala Lumpur Summit from December 19-21 is being seen as an attempt to create a new bloc in the Muslim world that could become an alternative to the dysfunctional Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) led by the Saudis, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Khan's close aide Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the decision of whether he will visit Malaysia or not will be taken "in accordance with the national interest".

Khan, who is currently in Bahrain and will later visit Geneva, will return to Pakistan on Wednesday and will then decide if he should visit Malaysia, she told reporters here.

The development comes a day after Khan's return from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone on a one-day visit on Saturday