Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing connectivity with Turkmenistan, highlighting the strategic importance of Karachi and Gwadar ports during a meeting with Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Ashgabat on Thursday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The two leaders held a warm and cordial meeting, during which Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President Berdimuhamedov on Turkmenistan’s 30th anniversary of Permanent Neutrality and the UN designation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust.
PM Shehbaz underscored the importance of the historic and fraternal relations between the two countries, expressing his determination to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in trade and economic engagement. He emphasised that both ports are ideally located to facilitate Turkmenistan’s access to South Asia and beyond.
Shehbaz Sharif also thanked the Turkmen leadership for their support in safely evacuating Pakistani nationals from Iran earlier this year during the Iran-Israel conflict.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz extended a formal invitation to both President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Turkmenistan’s National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to visit Pakistan next year. The two sides will coordinate dates for the visits based on mutual convenience.
President Berdimuhamedov expressed his gratitude for PM Shehbaz’s visit and participation in the International Forum on Peace and Trust. He assured PM that Turkmenistan is eager to enhance cooperation with Pakistan in various areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), during the visit, PM Shehbaz will participate in a high-level forum marking the International Year of Peace and Trust 2025, the International Day of Neutrality. The statement also highlighted that Pakistan and Turkmenistan continue to strengthen their relationship across multiple sectors.
Urges FBR to expand tax net
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to widen the tax net and intensify efforts to raise Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 11 per cent to achieve tax revenue targets.
He issued the instructions while chairing a high-level weekly review meeting on FBR affairs, where officials briefed him on revenue targets, digitisation initiatives and measures aimed at curbing tax evasion.
The premier also called for ensuring effective tax enforcement across all government sectors and guaranteeing the timely release of sales tax refunds.
Officials informed the meeting that focal persons from the FBR and Excise and Taxation Departments have been deployed across the coutnry to bring the entire tobacco sector into the tax net, adding that a mentionable quantity of illegal cigarettes had been seized in recent operations.
The meeting also reviewed the status of pending tax-related cases before various tribunals and institutions.
Meeting with WAPDA chief
Separately, the premier met the chairman of WAPDA, who briefed him on development projects under the authority’s supervision. The discussion covered progress on enhancing water storage capacity and other administrative and technical matters, with Sharif updated on ongoing efforts to protect and expand the country’s water resources.