ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has proposed raising bilateral trade with Bahrain from over $550 million to $1 billion within three years, using the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement and relaxed visa procedures to accelerate investment flows, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Wednesday after talks with the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Pakistan and Bahrain established diplomatic ties in 1971 and maintain close economic, labor and defense cooperation. Bahrain hosts more than 120,000 Pakistanis, making it an important source of remittances for Islamabad.
Economic engagement has accelerated this year following the Pakistan–Bahrain Investment Summit, where firms signed $13 million worth of contracts, and with the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement now at an advanced stage of finalization.
“Economic cooperation was a key focus,” Sharif’s office said about his meeting with the Bahrain crown prince.
“The Prime Minister highlighted the potential to increase bilateral trade, currently over $550 million, to $1 billion within three years, supported by the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement … and recently eased visa requirements.”
The PMO said the prime minister invited Bahraini investors to expand their footprint in Pakistan in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, health care, renewable energy, and tourism. He also proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port, a move seen as key to improving cargo movement, reducing shipping times in the Arabian Sea and integrating Pakistan’s deep-sea ports more closely with Gulf trade routes.
Labor and human development cooperation also featured in the discussions, with Sharif acknowledging Bahrain’s support for Pakistani expatriates. The PMO added that the two sides also discussed academic and governance initiatives:
“Sharif welcomed further collaboration in higher education, technical training, and digital governance, building on the King Hamad University initiative, and thanked Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.”
Defense was another area of expansion, with both governments looking to deepen security ties through collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defense production, and information sharing.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a major part of the conversation with the two leaders agreeing that the establishment of “peace and stability was long overdue for the people of Gaza who have suffered for decades.”
“The meeting concluded with confidence that the discussions will translate into tangible outcomes and further elevate Pakistan–Bahrain relations across strategic, economic, security and people-to-people domains,” the PMO said.
