ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kuwait will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with a joint event today, Tuesday, the Pakistani foreign office said.

Pakistan and Kuwait have a long history of bilateral ties, with Pakistani forces taking an active part in the liberation of Kuwait along with coalition forces in 1991. 

After the end of the first Gulf War in 1991, Pakistani army engineers were involved in a program of mine clearance in the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan sent hundreds of doctors, nurses and technicians to Kuwait, where a little over 100,000 Pakistanis live. 

Kuwait has been a long-time supplier of white oil products to Pakistan on favorable payment terms and the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) has also been investing in Pakistan for many decades.

"A joint inaugural event is being held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 February 2023 to commemorate this historic and deep-rooted relationship," the foreign office said. 

"Pakistan and Kuwait enjoy cordial relations covering diverse areas of common interest. The 60th Anniversary celebrations would include a number of high-level events and exchanges throughout the year, and would provide impetus in further cementing the brotherly bilateral relations."

Last year, Kuwait-backed firms said they were planning projects in Pakistan to the tune of $750 million, marking one of the largest proposed investments in the South Asian country in recent years. Pakistani and Kuwaiti companies are also working on a water pipeline valued at $200 million.

Earlier this month, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, met the Minister for Finance of Kuwait, Abdul Wahab Al-Rasheed, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai and agreed to boost economic ties. 

The two sides also discussed enhancing access to the Kuwaiti market for Pakistani products and labor force and the opportunities offered to Kuwait by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.