ISLAMABAD: Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on a two-day visit today, Wednesday, as the two countries seek to expand trade, investment and security ties amid heightened diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Gulf states.

The visit comes as Pakistan looks to deepen economic partnerships with Gulf nations, while regional security has assumed greater importance following months of Middle East hostilities that directly affected Bahrain and other Gulf states.

Al Zayani and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will co-chair the third session of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad, the foreign office said in a statement.

“The two sides will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation across diverse areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, economic cooperation, defense and security, labor and manpower, and cultural exchanges,” the statement added.

Economic engagement between the two countries has picked up over the past year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Bahrain in November 2025 and said bilateral trade, then worth more than $550 million, could be increased to $1 billion within three years.

Pakistan has also sought greater Bahraini investment in food security, information technology, construction, mining, health care, renewable energy and tourism, while more than 150,000 Pakistanis live and work in the Gulf kingdom.

The two countries maintain longstanding defense and security ties, including cooperation in military training and capacity building. Their interior ministers agreed last year to deepen collaboration on counterterrorism, human trafficking and narcotics and make a bilateral joint security committee more effective.

Al Zayani’s visit also takes place against a changed regional security landscape following this year’s conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, which spilled into Gulf states including Bahrain.

Iran said it targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and other Gulf states during the conflict in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian territory. Bahrain is a key US security partner in the region and hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Islamabad condemned the Iranian attacks on Bahrain and other Gulf states while also opposing attacks on Iran, and maintained high-level contacts with regional capitals as it pushed for dialogue and diplomacy to end the hostilities.

Dar and Al Zayani also spoke in August, when the Bahraini foreign minister congratulated Pakistan on the signing of a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and conveyed his intention to visit Islamabad.

The foreign office said the two ministers would also discuss regional and international developments and cooperation at multilateral forums during the visit.