ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the UAE have signed a $200 million agreement to execute the third phase of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Program (UAE-PAP).
The program aims to provide humanitarian and development aid to Pakistan. The third phase “complements the previous phases, under which 165 development and humanitarian projects at a cost of $365 million have been established,” said Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi, Emirati ambassador to Pakistan.
“The relentless humanitarian and developmental efforts made by the UAE’s wise leadership are the basic pillars of the country’s foreign policy,” he added, citing the schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, water supply projects, roads and bridges set up by his country in various regions of Pakistan.
“Such projects translate the importance that the UAE leadership attaches to education and health while building communities, with the ultimate goal of grooming generations capable of spearheading their nations in the future,” Al-Zaabi said.
Relations between the two countries “are based on mutual love and respect, and they have blossomed into a variety of fruitful partnerships,” he added.
“Pakistan and the UAE share the same principles of tolerance and inclusiveness as being the main guarantees for peace and stability in the region.”
The agreement, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), was signed by UAE-PAP Director Abdullah Khalifa Al-Ghafli and Maj. Gen. Anwarul Haq Chaudhry of the Pakistani Army, in the presence of Al-Zaabi and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.
At the end of the signing ceremony, a memorial plaque was presented to Bajwa marking the 51st anniversary of the drive to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan, initiated in 1967 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, UAE president and ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan, UAE sign $200M assistance deal
Pakistan, UAE sign $200M assistance deal
- Program aims to provide humanitarian, development aid.
- At the end of the signing ceremony, a memorial plaque was presented to Bajwa marking the 51st anniversary of the drive to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rise 24% to $240 million in 2025
- The Chinese embassy cites strong growth in agricultural trade with Pakistan
- Islamabad aims to expand food exports amid effort to boost foreign reserves
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rose 24% year-on-year to $240 million in the first 11 months of 2025, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on Wednesday, highlighting growing agricultural trade between the two countries.
China is one of Pakistan’s largest seafood export markets, alongside destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam and countries in the Middle East. Pakistan exports fish, shrimp and other marine products sourced from coastal areas in Balochistan and Sindh, including Gwadar, Pasni and Karachi, with shipments typically consisting of frozen fish, frozen shrimp and a smaller volume of processed seafood.
The figure cited by the Chinese embassy fits into a longer upward trend, supported by rising Chinese demand, improvements in cold-chain logistics and market access approvals for Pakistani exporters.
“Pakistan’s seafood exports to China hit [nearly] $240 million from Jan-Nov 2025, soaring by 24% compared with the same period in 2024, which fully shows the strong vitality of the agricultural trade between China & Pakistan,” the embassy said. “[China looks] forward to more export of high-quality Pakistani products to China in the future.”
China is Pakistan’s closest regional ally and a key destination for its agricultural and food exports, which Islamabad has been seeking to expand to bolster foreign exchange earnings.
The two countries enjoy strong strategic and economic cooperation, with Chinese support seen as vital to Pakistan’s efforts to diversify its export base beyond textiles and reduce reliance on external financing.
Beijing and Islamabad are also working closely on energy and infrastructure projects as part of broader efforts to enhance regional connectivity and support industrial development in Pakistan.
