IF looks can be deceptive, then Lt-Gen (Rtd) Tahir Mahmud Qazi, Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia, fits the bill.
The 59-year-old wears the demeanour of a former senior army officer enjoying a well-earned rest in a cushy -- and not overly-demanding -- diplomatic posting after a long career in uniform.
Kuala Lumpur has that kind of reputation among diplomats; the direct opposite of a hardship posting with attendant amenities and facilities second to none.
Indeed, Tahir's genteel mannerism, a wit that has bedazzled the diplomatic circuit in the federal capital and the charm of a true-blue Pakistani gentleman do little to belie this belief.
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| Lt-Gen (R) Tahir Mahmud Qazi says his focus here in Kuala Lumpur is commerce |
But behind what I believe is a God-given "veneer" is a veteran soldier who has merely shifted battlegrounds: from the skies of Pakistan (he was co-commander of the Army Air Defence Command) to the hearts and minds of Malaysian entrepreneurs and investors.
Like any senior army officer, he knows that not a moment should be lost in the effort to capture the interest of Malaysia's businessmen in the face of understandably contending initiatives by fellow envoys from the region.
As I spoke to him at the High Commission located in an old-world style bungalow with a sprawling lawn and a rich history along Jalan Ampang on Monday, it occurred to me that Tahir was the same -- in or out of uniform.
"I may be a former general but my focus here in Kuala Lumpur is commerce. I think we are only at the tip of the iceberg where bilateral relationship is concerned.
"The commonalities between our nations beg a closer relationship."
It was clear to me that the rapier-sharp mind that had helped keep the skies safe back home was being used in full measure to take the bilateral relationship to new heights.
It is also apparent that he and his staff are in for the long-haul in convincing Malaysians to invest, and indeed trade, with Pakistan, given recent troubles in the nation that have been a source of consternation to businessmen worldwide.
Indeed, the woes that Pakistan has experienced in recent years would have dispirited even the most hardy but then, the people of the land are no ordinary folk.
They come from a generation who built a nation from scratch, depending in the initial days on the goodwill of the British and a few from the sub-continent who truly believed that they should have a homeland to call their own.
My visit to Islamabad, Karachi and Rawalpindi in 2003 showed me what the people of Pakistan were made of: true grit, a never-give-up spirit and a resilience born out of hardship.
I saw what they had created out of almost nothing in Islamabad, a beautifully planned city that has become the pride of Pakistan with its wide roads and comfortable homes and buildings.
As for Karachi, the bustling port city that has never ceased to hum with activity and business potential, it continues to be a haven for business and is likely to be so for years to come.
Tahir, whose two years here have proven fruitful in terms of orientating Malaysians with the brisk and effective manner in which Pakistan does business with the world, is never at a loss for words when it comes to his homeland.
"Our government has probably the most attractive terms for foreign investors," he said, adding that Pakistan was in the midst of setting up an exclusive economic zone for Malaysian investors.
He is probably at his most joyful reciting the litany of facts and figures about bilateral trade and the future of this relationship.
"Pakistan-Malaysia relations go back hundreds of years through trade and migration here. Do you know that the second-largest group of people in Sabah are those of Pakistani origin?" he asks.
Tahir, the former general and current envoy, may have the facts and figures about military exploits and bilateral trade at his fingertips.
But it is when he digs into his vast repertoire of stories going back into history, teasing out obscure facts about military victories or the political intricacies of India-Pakistan "rivalry", that he is at his most interesting.
Tahir is also a raconteur of such talent that he can keep an audience mesmerised with his one-liners culled from, among others, old diaries of senior Pakistani military men which he had occasion to peruse over the years.
Besides the help of staff at the mission to tell the story of Pakistan here, he also has the assistance of Datuk MohdSalim Fateh Din, the honorary investment counsellor for Pakistan in Malaysia.
Salim, the chief executive officer of Gapurna Sdn Bhd which is primarily into property development, has been playing the role of "match-maker' between Malaysian investors and Pakistani businessmen.
"I help Pakistani businessmen identify Malaysian partners, besides educating Malaysians on trade potential in Pakistan," he said.
"Pakistan needs almost everything Malaysia can provide, from all types of housing to infrastructure and expertise in giving value-added to agricultural produce."
Salim is currently working with Malaysian developers on the possibility of forming a consortium to carry out property development in Pakistan.
"This is on the table at the moment and should take off soon. The sky is the limit where Pakistan is concerned.'
With Tahir and Salim putting their best foot forward to bridge the "distance" between Pakistan and Malaysia, it should come as no surprise that the two countries figure more prominently in each other's radar in the near future.
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