PETALING JAYA: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (pic) is scheduled to make a visit to Malaysia next week where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His two-day visit here, from Feb 17, will be his first tour to South-East Asia since he was implicated in the murder of a Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

Reuters reported that the Crown Prince is expected to visit Malaysia, China and Indonesia, as well as India and Pakistan.

It added that he is also expected to announce investments in energy and infrastructure in India and Pakistan as part of his efforts to wean the Saudi economy off oil exports.

Last October, it was reported that Khashoggi was allegedly dismembered by Saudi Arabian agents in its consulate in Istanbul, accelerating into the worst crisis between the Saudi kingdom and the West since Sept 11, 2001.

Saudi Arabia denied that the killing had even taken place.

But on Oct 19, the Saudi prosecutor released a statement saying that 18 Saudi nationals arrested by Saudi authorities had acted with premeditated intent.

On Oct 22 last year, Dr Mahathir condemned the killing and described it as an act of “extreme cruelty” and unacceptable.

Malaysia, he said, does not support the killing of government critics.