Manama: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held a high-level meeting with Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Qasr Al Qudaibiya, during his official visit to the Gulf state.
On arrival, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was presented with a Guard of Honour. He thanked the Crown Prince for the warm reception and appreciated Bahrain’s leadership for its role in strengthening bilateral relations.
The prime minister congratulated Bahrain on securing a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–27 term and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to close cooperation during this period.
Economic cooperation remained the central focus of the meeting. Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that bilateral trade, currently exceeding 550 million dollars, could be increased to one billion dollars within the next three years. He said this target can be achieved through the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement, which is in its final stages, along with recent relaxation in visa policies.
He invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s sectors including food security, information technology, construction, mining and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy and tourism. He also proposed enhancing port-to-port connectivity between Karachi and Gwadar ports and Bahrain’s Khalifa bin Salman Port.
The prime minister acknowledged Bahrain’s support for more than 150,000 Pakistanis working in the kingdom and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to providing more skilled manpower. He also welcomed cooperation in higher education, technical training and digital governance. He thanked Bahrain for establishing King Hamad University in Islamabad and for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.
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Defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with both sides agreeing to expand collaboration in training, cyber security, defence production and intelligence sharing.
The two leaders exchanged views on the recent situation in Gaza and welcomed efforts towards peace and stability, expressing hope for lasting relief for the people of Gaza.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing confidence that the visit would lead to tangible outcomes and further strengthen strategic, economic, security and people-to-people relations between Pakistan and Bahrain.
