ISLAMABAD: The Proton car gifted to Prime Minister Imran Khan by Malaysia’s premier, Mahathir Mohamad last year, was most likely the first Southeast Asian vehicle to arrive in Islamabad. But more of them are expected to hit the roads of Pakistan as Proton is about to enter the market.

The sale of Malaysian-made vehicles and their future assemblage in Karachi was confirmed during PM Khan’s visit to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

“Both leaders recalled the symbolic groundbreaking of the Proton Assembly Plant jointly officiated in Islamabad on 22 March 2019 and were pleased to note the progress made at the facility in Karachi, scheduled for completion in the first half of 2021,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said in a press release on Wednesday.

The Karachi facility will be Proton’s first factory in South Asia.

Malaysian-made Protons will enter the Pakistani market in the second half of this year, while the assembly and sale of Pakistan-made Proton vehicles are set to be launched in the first half of 2021, according to the statement.

In reference to the development, Mahathir said Malaysia is going to explore other investment opportunities in Pakistan’s engineering sector, Malaysian state-owned news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday.

“We realize that Pakistan has a huge population of 200 million and of course many of their needs can be addressed in Pakistan itself in collaboration with Malaysia,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.
During his three-day trip to Pakistan in March last year, the Malaysian prime minister symbolically presented to Khan the X-70 Proton – the company’s flagship SUV. The vehicle arrived in Pakistan in mid-December and was handed over to the Pakistani government by the Malaysian High Commission.

Proton Holdings was established by Mahathir in 1983as Malaysia’s first national car producer.