ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to foster their bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy and other sectors, the Pakistani foreign office said late Friday, amid Pakistan’s efforts to revive its $350 billion economy.
The statement came after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s meeting with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, at which the two leaders engaged in discussions to further strengthen Pakistan-UAE fraternal ties.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Both countries have stepped up efforts in recent years to strengthen their economic relations. In Jan. 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.
“They explored avenues to enhance bilateral cooperation across key sectors, including trade, investment, energy, defense, and people-to-people connections,” the Pakistani foreign office said, following the meeting between DPM Dar and his Emirati counterpart.
“The two leaders agreed to maintain regular high-level engagements and consultations to further solidify bilateral ties and coordinate on regional and international issues of mutual concern.”
The development comes amid Islamabad’s efforts to forge closer ties, especially in trade and investment, with several Central Asian and Gulf nations as Pakistan treads a tricky path to economic recovery since avoiding a default in June 2023.
Policymakers in Pakistan consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions. It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, making it the second-largest Pakistani expatriate community worldwide and a major source of foreign workers’ remittances for Pakistan.
During the meeting, Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening its multifaceted partnership with the Emirates and highlighted the pivotal role of the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE, describing them as a bridge between the two nations.
“In response, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan reiterated the UAE’s steadfast commitment to strengthening its strategic relationship with Pakistan,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“He acknowledged Pakistan’s significant contributions to regional stability and expressed appreciation for the positive role played by the Pakistani community in the UAE’s development.”
Pakistan, UAE resolve to foster cooperation in trade, investment, energy and other sectors
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Pakistan, UAE resolve to foster cooperation in trade, investment, energy and other sectors
- The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US, and a major source of foreign investment
- Policymakers in Pakistan consider the Gulf country an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity
Magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolts parts of Pakistan, no losses reported
- Tremors were felt in Swat, Peshawar and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as in the federal capital Islamabad
- Pakistan Meteorological Department measures quake’s depth at 114 km, identifies Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan as epicenter
ISLAMABAD: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Wednesday evening, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said with no loss of lives or massive damage to property reported.
The tremors were felt in the federal capital, Islamabad, as well as the northwestern cities of Swat, Peshawar and Chitral in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the PMD said.
“An earthquake recorded on 25-02-2026 at 16:12 PST with a 5.6-magnitude and a depth of 114km,” the PMD said in a statement. “Its epicenter was the Hindu Kush Region Afghanistan.”
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
In August last year, a shallow 6-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan flattened mountainside villages and killed more than 2,200 people. Weeks later, a 6.3-magnitude quake in northern Afghanistan killed at least 27.
Powerful tremors struck western Herat in Afghanistan, near the Iranian border, in 2023, and the Nangarhar province in 2022, killing hundreds and destroying thousands of homes.
