ISLAMABAD: Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Pakistan today, Thursday, to boost economic ties and investment cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, the foreign office said.
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 Gulf country’s foreign ministry.
Sheikh Al Nayhan will arrive on his first official visit to Pakistan with a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation, the foreign office’s statement said.
“This visit underscores the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reflects the shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral economic partnership,” the statement said.
The foreign office said the crown prince will engage in wide-ranging interactions with the Pakistani leadership to “exchange views on matters of mutual interest, reinforce historical bonds and promote economic as well as investment cooperation.”
“Several agreements and Memorandums of Understandings will be signed during the visit to bolster existing robust framework for long-term collaboration in multifaceted sectors,” it added.
The agreements are expected to open new opportunities for joint ventures and projects aimed at furthering economic cooperation between both countries, the statement said.
Pakistan and UAE 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.
The crown prince’s visit comes as Pakistan pursues economic diplomacy with several Central Asian and Gulf nations while treading a tricky path to economic recovery since avoiding a sovereign 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.
Several agreements expected to be signed as Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Pakistan today
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Several agreements expected to be signed as Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Pakistan today
- Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to arrive with delegation comprising officials, businessmen
- Both sides to sign several memorandums of understanding for long-term collaboration in multifaceted sectors
Pakistan to export halal meat worth $14.5 million to Tajikistan
- Effective trade facilitation can increase bilateral Pakistan-Tajikistan trade to $300 million, says state media
- PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy earlier this month in bid to boost meat exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will export 143,000 tons of halal meat to Tajikistan worth $14.5 million in the near future, state media reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s efforts to bolster trade with Central Asian countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, earlier this month, approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy that aims to boost Islamabad’s meat exports to Muslim states.
In a high-level meeting on Dec. 24, Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain said Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Gulf countries are ready to import Pakistani fresh meat and rice. The minister said Tajikistan has expressed the demand to import nearly 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan.
“According to details, Pakistan will export one hundred and forty-three thousand tons of halal meat to Tajikistan, valued at 14.5 million dollars,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It did not, however, specify a timeline as to when Islamabad planned to export the halal meat items to the Central Asian nation.
The state media said that effective trade facilitation will increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan to $300 million, strengthening regional economic integration.
Pakistan has recently attempted to increase its halal meat exports to other Muslim countries such as Malaysia. Both countries announced they had agreed to a $200 million halal meat trade quota during Sharif’s visit to Malaysia in October.
A 2024 report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) mentioned that the country exported meat worth $512 million in 2024, which included beef, mutton and poultry.
According to the PBS, the UAE remained Pakistan’s top meat export market in 2024 with exports to the Gulf nation reaching $201 million. Meanwhile, meat exports to Saudi Arabia recorded a growth of 65.1 percent last year valued at $141 million.
