KUALA LUMPUR: The Foreign Ministry is seeking additional funding to conduct awareness programmes, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, which account for 118 of the 130 Malaysians detained in Pakistan for suspected involvement in online scams.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the two states recorded the highest number of detainees, with 63 from Sabah and 55 from Sarawak.
Together, they accounted for nearly 91% of the Malaysians detained in Pakistan.
He said Johor recorded five detainees, followed by Kuala Lumpur with three, Selangor with two, while Penang and Kelantan recorded one each.
"I believe there is a need for the ministry to receive additional allocations to carry out outreach and awareness programmes, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, which recorded high numbers," he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 3).
Lukanisman said the detention of 130 Malaysians in Pakistan was not an isolated incident.
He added that nearly 3,000 Malaysians were detained overseas, particularly for drug-related offences and involvement in online job scams.
On a separate matter, Lukanisman explained that the reduction in allocations for maritime-related activities did not mean that the ministry had ceased carrying out such activities.
Instead, he said fewer meetings were required following Malaysia's maritime-related engagements with Asean and China.
He said progress had been made in the discussions, including the preparation of a draft framework, which would reduce funding requirements for the coming year.
"Outreach and information programmes had also been incorporated into the key performance indicators of Malaysian diplomatic missions abroad.
"This would ensure that Malaysian representatives overseas continued to conduct public outreach and diplomatic activities, including economic and cultural diplomacy," he said.
He said these efforts were aimed at promoting a better understanding of Malaysia's Madani diplomatic framework while strengthening the country's position as an attractive investment destination.
