Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India’s digital payments platform UPI will soon be introduced in Malaysia, as he began a two-day visit aimed at deepening economic, defence and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
PM Modi arrived in Kuala Lumpur on his first foreign visit of 2026, underlining India’s focus on strengthening its comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysia. The visit comes against the backdrop of steadily expanding bilateral cooperation after both sides elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in August 2024.
Addressing the diaspora, PM Modi announced several initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s engagement with the Indian-origin community in Malaysia. “India will always embrace you with open arms. That is why we made a historic decision just a few months ago. We extended the OCI Card eligibility to Malaysian citizens of Indian origin upto the sixth generation. We have been supporting the Indian Scholarship Trust Fund. We will also award the Thiruvalluvar Scholarship to students studying in India. We look forward to seeing you in the ‘Know India’ programme,” he said.
At the event, PM Modi thanked Anwar Ibrahim for attending the community programme and highlighted the personal gestures extended to him during the visit. He said the Malaysian prime minister not only came to the airport to receive him but also accompanied him to the venue, calling it a reflection of “his love and respect for India and for all of you.”
Recalling his earlier commitment to visit Malaysia, Modi said, “Last year, I could not visit Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit. But I promised my friend that I will come to Malaysia soon. As promised, I am here. This is my first foreign visit in 2026.”
He also praised a large cultural performance staged by the Indian diaspora. “We have just seen a record-setting cultural performance. 800 dancers in perfect harmony. This performance will be remembered by our people for years to come. I congratulate all the performers,” he said.
PM HIGHLIGHTS INDIA-MALAYSIA CULTURAL LINKS
Highlighting cultural links, PM Modi described the Indian-origin community in Malaysia as a living bridge between the two nations. He spoke about shared food traditions, language similarities and the popularity of Indian music and films in Malaysia, noting Anwar Ibrahim’s fondness for Indian songs, including Tamil tracks of the legendary MGR.
PM IBRAHIM HIGHLIGHTS PERSONAL RAPPORT WITH MODI
During the visit, Anwar Ibrahim also publicly praised Modi, highlighting their personal rapport. “PM Modi, I have followed your struggle, and I say this: I am fortunate to be a great personal friend of Modi ji, of India,” the Malaysian prime minister said.
INDIA TO PRESS ON ZAKIR NAIK’S EXTRADITION
During delegation-level talks, New Delhi is also set to once again press Kuala Lumpur on the extradition of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the prime minister’s visit features a “rich agenda and will give a major boost to the special partnership between India and Malaysia”.
The visit is expected to give fresh momentum to India–Malaysia ties, with digital payments, economic cooperation and defence collaboration featuring prominently on the agenda.
– Ends
Published By:
Akshat Trivedi
Published On:
Feb 7, 2026
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