Manama (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s intention to strengthen its ties with Bahrain, stressing that the relationship is rooted in shared faith, mutual trust, and decades of friendly engagement.
During his two-day official trip to Manama, the prime minister held a meeting with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. According to the PM Office, both leaders reviewed the progress made in their longstanding partnership and discussed ways to expand cooperation in multiple areas.
While speaking about economic links, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was looking to widen its trade and investment footprint in Bahrain. He noted that the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement, now in the final stages, would open new doors for business engagement. He also invited Bahraini companies to explore investment opportunities through Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), especially in sectors such as food security, technology, construction, mining, tourism, and healthcare.
The prime minister expressed gratitude for Bahrain’s support to the Pakistani community living there, which numbers over 150,000. He also thanked the king for pardoning several Pakistani prisoners.
Both sides underlined the importance of their defense cooperation and agreed to further enhance collaboration in areas including training, logistics, manpower, and defense manufacturing. They also exchanged views on regional issues, particularly the situation in Gaza, and agreed that its people had endured far too long without peace or stability.
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PM Shehbaz congratulated Bahrain on winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026-27 and said Pakistan looked forward to working closely with Manama during its term.
The two leaders also discussed the potential of increasing bilateral trade, which currently stands at over $550 million, and expressed confidence that the figure could be taken to $1 billion with consistent efforts.
The prime minister later met Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Their talks, described as warm and constructive, ended with optimism that the understandings reached would translate into concrete progress across economic, security, political, and people-to-people domains.
PM Shehbaz was welcomed at Manama airport by the crown prince along with Deputy PM Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and other senior officials.
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The Pakistani delegation accompanying the prime minister includes Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other officials.
