ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain on Wednesday reaffirmed their resolve to deepen bilateral cooperation across economic, defence and political spheres, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his two-day official visit to Manama.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Shehbaz reiterated that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relationship with Bahrain, describing the partnership as rooted in shared faith, mutual respect and decades of friendship.
Economic ties, investment opportunities in focus
During his meeting with King Hamad, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s desire to expand bilateral trade and investment, noting that trade volumes were expected to grow further once the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement, now in its finalisation stage, is concluded.
He invited Bahraini investors to tap opportunities available through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), particularly in sectors such as food security, IT, construction, mining, healthcare, tourism and minerals. He also proposed enhanced port and maritime connectivity to facilitate regional trade flows.
Mr Shehbaz thanked the Bahraini leadership for its continued support to the more than 150,000 Pakistanis residing in the kingdom and expressed gratitude for the recent pardoning of Pakistani prisoners.
He observed that with focused engagement, bilateral trade—currently over $550 million—could be scaled up to $1 billion.
Defence cooperation reaffirmed
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of their longstanding defence partnership. The two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in training, logistics, manpower exchange and defence production, while commending the encouraging momentum already seen in security collaboration.
The regional geopolitical situation, including the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, also came under discussion. The two leaders agreed that peace and stability were long overdue for the people of Gaza, who had endured decades of suffering.
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PM Shehbaz also congratulated Bahrain on securing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026-27 and assured Pakistan’s full support and close coordination during its term.
Had a most productive meeting with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in Manama today.
I was honoured to receive the revered award Order of Bahrain (First Class).
We held detailed discussions on our historic ties, including the remarkable… pic.twitter.com/vVeW4g4aC9
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) November 26, 2025
Meeting with Crown Prince Salman
In a separate meeting, the prime minister and Crown Prince Salman expressed confidence that the engagements would translate into tangible outcomes, elevating cooperation in strategic, economic, security and people-to-people domains.
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Upon arrival in Manama, Mr Shehbaz was warmly received by the crown prince, Deputy PM Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, FM Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and other senior Bahraini officials. The Pakistani delegation includes Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and senior government representatives.
The visit, both sides noted, reflects the longstanding warmth in Pakistan-Bahrain ties and aims to open new avenues of partnership following last month’s meeting of the Pakistan-Bahrain Parliamentary Friendship Group, where both sides agreed to expand cooperation across multiple fields.
