It is quite appreciable and commendable that Pakistan has lately been making concerted efforts in a determined manner to boost, strengthen, and deepen its bilateral relations with friendly countries around the globe, particularly with regional allies, and is fast regaining its rightful position in the comity of nations.
Quite obviously, these efforts are both directly and indirectly aimed at attracting more and more investment in different sectors, showcasing the vast opportunities available, and elevating mutual trade to new heights in the shortest possible time.
To attract greater foreign investment in key sectors such as defence production, agriculture, mining, information technology (IT), and energy, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was established some time ago. It has been performing effectively by serving as a one-window operation for both local and foreign prospective investors, saving them from running around various departments and institutions and facilitating them efficiently.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has been actively visiting regional countries, holding talks with top leadership, and thereby promoting, strengthening, and deepening bilateral relations in a mutually beneficial manner.
Most importantly, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has been actively visiting regional countries, holding bilateral talks with top leadership, and thereby promoting, strengthening, and deepening bilateral relations in a mutually beneficial manner.
During the last six weeks or so, the Prime Minister has visited several regional countries, including Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with more foreign visits planned in the coming weeks.
The UAE, Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, is home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates and is also the second-largest source of remittances to the South Asian country after Saudi Arabia.
The Prime Minister recently paid a brief one-day visit to the UAE, during which he called on UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi. They discussed matters of bilateral relations and regional interest in a free and frank manner.
Both the Prime Minister and the UAE President discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest. They reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and agreed to maintain close coordination and continue working together to advance shared goals.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive upward trajectory of bilateral ties and ongoing engagements at all levels. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to reiterate his earlier invitation to the UAE President to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
While in Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister also highlighted Pakistan’s participation in London Tech Week 2025, engaging global stakeholders and reaffirming the country’s commitment to the knowledge economy, digital transformation, and youth empowerment.
It may also be mentioned that brisk preparations are currently underway in Islamabad for the upcoming 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission, scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi. Notably, this will be the first session after a 13-year hiatus, as the commission was originally set to convene in October 2014. The 11th session was held in Islamabad in the first week of November 2013.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, currently serving his second term after his first tenure from April 2022 to August 2023, has so far undertaken a total of 52 foreign visits to 16 countries, mostly official, with a few private ones. He has visited several countries more than once in his determined efforts to restore Pakistan’s important status in the comity of nations. These countries include Saudi Arabia, UAE, United Kingdom, Türkiye, Qatar, Uzbekistan, the United States (for UN General Assembly sessions), Kazakhstan, China, Egypt, Switzerland, Iran, Azerbaijan, France, Belarus, and Tajikistan.
The writer is a Lahore-based freelance journalist, columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad and can be reached at [email protected]