- PM Shehbaz meets Bahrain crown prince in Manama.
- Urges Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in multiple sectors.
- Premier felicitates Bahrain for winning UNSC non-permanent seat.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday highlighted the potential to increase Pakistan-Bahrain bilateral trade from $550m to $1bn within next three years.
PM Shehbaz made the remarks during his meeting with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the PM aims to raise Pakistan-Bahrain trade to $1 billion, supported by the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement, which is at advanced stage of finalisation and recently eased visa requirements.
The premier invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism. He also proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Khalifa Bin Salman Port.
PM Shehbaz congratulated Bahrain on its success for the UN Security Council’s non-permanent membership for a 2-year term, 2026-2027, and expressed Pakistan’s readiness for close coordination during its tenure.
The premier also acknowledged Bahrain’s support for the over 150,000-strong Pakistani community and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to provide more skilled manpower.
He welcomed further collaboration in higher education, technical training, and digital governance, building on the King Hamad University initiative, and thanked Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.
“Defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with both sides agreeing to further expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production, and information sharing,” read the statement.
It further said that both leaders discussed the recent developments in Gaza, and agreed that the establishment of peace and stability was long overdue for the people of Gaza, who have suffered for decades.
The meeting concluded with confidence that the discussions will translate into tangible outcomes and further elevate Pakistan–Bahrain relations across strategic, economic, security and people-to-people domains, read the statement.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa also met the premier and conferred upon him the Order of Bahrain (first class), which is the highest award given by Bahrain to heads of states and governments.
The king informed the premier that Bahrain had the privilege of being represented at a legal forum by none other than Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He remarked that Quaid-e-Azam remained Bahrain’s lawyer for a long time.
Upon his arrival at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace in Manama, a smartly turned-out contingent presented a guard of honour to PM Shehbaz.
PM Shehbaz, accompanied by a delegation, is on a two-day official visit to Bahrain. The delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other officials.
