ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is keen to enhance its ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), especially in the IT sector, Caretaker Information Technology Minister Dr. Umar Saif was quoted as saying by state-run Radio Pakistan on Wednesday. 

Pakistan and the UAE have enjoyed fraternal relations since decades and cooperate in various fields such as defense, trade, economy, IT and telecom. In October 2023, Pakistan’s caretaker IT minister paid a visit to the UAE where he participated in the 43rd GITEX edition (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) GLOBAL tech and startup show. 

UAE’s Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al-Zaabi called on Saif in Islamabad to discuss matters related to IT and telecom, Radio Pakistan said. 

“Caretaker Minister for IT and Telecommunication Dr. Umar Saif has said that Pakistan is keen to enhance ties with the United Arab Emirates especially in IT sector,” the state-run media said. 

The UAE is also home to an estimated 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates and, after Saudi Arabia, is the second-largest source of remittances for the South Asian nation of more than 240 million. 

The Gulf nation is Pakistan’s third-largest trade partner after China and the United States. It is also viewed as an ideal export destination by policymakers in the South Asian country due to its geographical proximity to Pakistan. 

In another meeting with British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott, Saif acknowledged the UK government’s support for governance reform in Pakistan in the fields of health, education and public finance sectors for decades. 

“He said Pakistan’s IT industry has great potential to expand their business in the UK, and our startups need to be able to attract bigger investments from UK-based venture,” Radio Pakistan said.