ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Maldives on Thursday outlined plans to establish direct air and maritime connections to boost trade and investment, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering a feasibility study for direct flights and calling for reliable shipping links between the two countries.

The announcements came at the Pakistan-Maldives Business Forum in the federal capital, a day after Sharif and visiting Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu agreed to increase bilateral trade from around $13 million to $200 million within two years.

“The air link is extremely important,” Sharif said. “I have already given instructions to Ministry of Civil Aviation to prepare quick feasibility, be it Pakistan International Airlines or any other airline in Pakistan, to find ways and means to take the first flight comprising of tourist business community to Malé.”

The prime minister said he had also instructed aviation officials to invite a Maldivian delegation for consultations on launching direct flights as soon as possible.

He stressed the need for direct shipping services between the two countries, saying they were essential to achieving their trade targets.

“Unless we have reliable, direct shipping schedule from Karachi to Malé or from Gwadar, we will not be able to meet our targets efficiently and effectively,” he said.

Sharif further announced that Pakistan would send a delegation of business leaders, ministers and government officials to the Maldives within approximately a week to identify opportunities for expanding exports and investment.

He said the delegation would include Pakistani exporters with experience in trading with the Maldives and would follow up on the understandings reached during Muizzu’s visit.

“It’s all up to us to make use of this opportunity, do our homework, and make full preparation to achieve these targets through joint efforts and very close coordination,” he said.

Muizzu, who addressed the forum after the Pakistani prime minister, also emphasized the need to strengthen transport links between the two countries.

“I am pleased to announce that Maldivian, our national airline, aims to establish a direct air link between Male and Karachi soon,” he said. “This service will make travel easier for the people of our two countries, creating new opportunities for trade and tourism.”

The Maldivian president also encouraged shipping, port and logistics companies from both countries to explore commercially viable direct maritime connections.

“For an island nation, maritime connectivity is an economic lifeline,” he said. “We must create more efficient corridors through which that trade can move.”

Muizzu identified agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction, renewable energy and Islamic finance as promising areas for Pakistani investment and commercial partnerships.

He said the Maldives’ dependence on imported food and its large tourism industry offered opportunities for Pakistani businesses to expand beyond conventional exports into cold-chain logistics, storage and food-processing infrastructure.

“For the Maldives, food security is not merely a commercial consideration. As an island nation, resilient supply chains are a matter of national security,” he said.

He pointed out that his country’s market extended beyond its population of approximately half a million people, with more than two million international visitors arriving annually.

The Maldivian president also invited Pakistani pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care providers to explore opportunities arising from the Maldives’ investments in hospitals and medical infrastructure, while encouraging construction and engineering companies to participate in housing, land reclamation and infrastructure projects.

During Wednesday’s talks, Pakistan offered to supply essential food commodities and pharmaceuticals to the Maldives, including through government-to-government arrangements, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The leaders also exchanged 20 cooperation agreements covering sectors including aviation, agriculture, health, tourism and maritime security.

Muizzu’s three-day visit, the first by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years, coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.