ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to strengthen economic ties through direct flights, fast-track business visas and joint trade forums, part of Islamabad’s broader push to connect landlocked Central Asian states to global markets via its Arabian Sea ports.
The initiative falls under Pakistan’s “Vision Central Asia” policy, which prioritizes transport, energy, investment and people-to-people links to boost trade with the region.
For Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy, reliable access to seaports is critical, while Islamabad hopes to channel Central Asian commerce through its ports at Karachi and Gwadar.
“The two sides deliberated on the initiation of direct flights between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, facilitation for the business community and collaboration between the Chambers of Commerce of both brotherly countries,” Radio Pakistan reported on a meeting in Islamabad between Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, and Pakistan’s federal minister for communications, Aleem Khan.
Under the agreement, Pakistan will issue two-year visas for Kazakh businessmen within 24 hours. Kistafin also welcomed a proposal to hold a joint business forum in Lahore and signaled readiness for further meetings in other major Pakistani cities, Radio Pakistan added.
Bilateral trade between the two countries remains relatively modest — around $120–150 million annually, according to official data — but officials see transport and energy projects as key to unlocking greater potential.
Earlier this month, Kistafin met Pakistan’s maritime minister, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, to discuss joint ventures enabling Kazakh use of Karachi and Gwadar ports.
