Pakistan on Thursday expressed its commitment to boost bilateral trade with Bahrain as the two countries held the third session of their Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who arrived in Pakistan last night on a two-day visit, are co-chairing the JMC session.
Addressing the media alongside the visiting dignitary during the JMC session, Dar recalled the target set earlier of increasing their bilateral trade to $1 billion.
Noting the target of doubling trade in three years, of which one has already elapsed, Dar quipped, “But God forbid, if we miss [the target by] a few months, we have a great excuse that this period has been very turbulent.”
Dar also referred to a potential free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), noting that the GCC secretary general told him the deal was “almost ripe”, barring one country, which still needed to give a green light.
“I’m sure the signing of the free trade agreement between the GCC and Pakistan will surely will help us in achieving our goals,” the deputy premier said, adding that it would lead to an increase in imports and exports.
“What we need is to complement government-to-government efforts with business-to-business,” the minister stressed.
Bilateral meeting
Prior to the Pakistan-Bahrain JMC, the two foreign ministers also held a separate meeting after Al Zayani’s arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a post on X about the “cordial” meeting, the Foreign Office (FO) said the two ministers “reviewed Pakistan–Bahrain relations and expressed satisfaction at the positive momentum in high-level engagement between the two countries”.
“They discussed ways to further expand bilateral cooperation across areas of mutual interest, particularly in trade, economic and investment relations, as well as through engagement at multilateral fora.”
The two sides also exchanged views on “regional and international developments of mutual interest and underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain the most viable means of addressing challenges and resolving disputes”, FO added.
According to an earlier FO statement, the two sides were to “review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation across diverse areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, economic cooperation, defence and security, labour and manpower, and cultural exchanges”.
“Pakistan and Bahrain enjoy close, brotherly relations founded on shared faith, common values, mutual respect, and longstanding people-to-people links,” FO noted.
Dar and Al Zayani last met in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they discussed bilateral relations, including preparations for the JMC session.
They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, with Al Zayani appreciating Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability.
Pak-Bahrain exchanges
Islamabad and Manama had agreed to establish the JMC in 2014, when King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa paid a three-day visit to Pakistan.
Following the last JMC session in July 2021, which was held in Manama, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to promote business between the two countries.
Earlier this month, Dar chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to review preparations for the Pakistan-Bahrain JMC and directed the ministries concerned to pursue concrete outcomes from the Bahrain FM’s visit.
The Pakistani leadership has also undertaken official visits to the Gulf kingdom in recent years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by Dar, made a two-day trip to Bahrain in November 2025, during which he met with the king and crown prince there.
Then, in January this year, President Asif Ali Zardari made a four-day trip to the kingdom, where he highlighted economic opportunities that Pakistan offers.
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