The 12th Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), held in Abu Dhabi after a 13-year hiatus, marks a timely and consequential reset in one of Pakistan’s most enduring bilateral relationships. Co-chaired by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, this high-level engagement signals a profound and welcome commitment to reinvigorating ties that date back to Pakistan’s early recognition of the UAE in 1971.
The lengthy gap since the last JMC underscores why this renewed momentum matters. Among the session’s notable outcomes was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passports. While administrative on the surface, this agreement facilitates smoother official engagement: the kind of routine institutional contact that prevents inertia from setting in.
But the real value lies in the economic space. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner and second-largest source of remittances, with over a million Pakistanis contributing to its economy. The creation of a Joint Task Force to promote investment, and the signing of an agreement on digital economy and advanced technologies, are not only welcome. For the lack of a better word, they are urgent. With Pakistan facing a persistent current account crisis and struggling to draw in stable FDI, these pacts must translate into visible capital flows. The UAE’s pledged $10 billion in prospective investments (targeting energy, minerals, and infrastructure) presents a rare opportunity to stabilise and modernise Pakistan’s economic foundations.
Equally significant are the human and cultural dimensions. The new five-year multiple-entry tourist visa for Pakistani nationals, while distinct from the diplomatic exemption, will ease travel for families and skilled professionals. Such people-to-people contact, rooted in decades of shared labour, culture, and religion, reinforces the resilience of the bilateral relationship at a time when transactional diplomacy often dominates foreign affairs.
Still, intent is not impact. Pakistan has a long record of signing ambitious bilateral agreements that fade into bureaucratic inertia. What’s required now is sustained political stewardship and follow-through. If Islamabad is serious about economic diplomacy, it must proactively pursue equitable joint ventures, ensure transparency in investment approvals, and position itself as a strategic partner in the Gulf’s regional calculus, particularly as the UAE expands its diplomatic footprint from Africa to Central Asia.
This JMC was overdue. What matters now is what comes next. *