Khan was reportedly pressured by Saudi Arabia to skip the KL Summit held late last year, as Riyadh disagreed with Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s move to hold the gathering claiming that it would undermine Muslim unity.
Khan today said he disagreed with such a claim.
“Now it is evident that the summit was not to divide the ummah. The results from the KL Summit are far from it. If anything, it was to unite the ummah.
“So of course I would love to come,” he said after a meeting with Mahathir here.
In December, Khan announced an eleventh-hour cancellation of his trip to attend the KL Summit, in what was believed to be the result of diplomatic arm-twisting of the cash-strapped South Asian nation which has received billions of dollars in Saudi aid.
The three heads of state – Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani – who attended the summit are among the Saudis’ staunchest enemies.
Khan said he was sad that he was not able to attend the summit, and appeared to confirm reports of pressure from the Saudis.
He said his absence was due to “friends who were close to Pakistan” who felt that the conference could divide Muslims.
“I was looking forward to attend the conference because I feel that it was very important Muslim countries educate Western countries and non-Muslim nations about Islam.”
Extradition treaty
Meanwhile, the governments of Pakistan and Malaysia today signed an extradition treaty.
In his comments, Mahathir said the treaty was targeted at those who fled to Pakistan after committing a crime in Malaysia.
“It may be a terrorist, or an ordinary criminal, or anyone who has done something wrong in Malaysia and seeks refuge in Pakistan.”
Khan said a murder suspect had been extradited to Pakistan even before the treaty was signed.
Meanwhile, Mahathir said Putrajaya was looking to invest more in Pakistan’s engineering sector.
Pakistan already has an automative plant there to produce Proton cars, he said.
“Pakistan, has a huge population and a lot of their needs can be produced via joint ventures.”