ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s proposed free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is close to being signed, with approval potentially pending from just one member state, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday, as Bahrain pledged to accelerate the process.

Pakistan and the GCC concluded negotiations on the agreement in September 2023, but it has yet to be formally signed and implemented. The deal is intended to facilitate trade and investment between Pakistan and the six Gulf economies, which are major sources of remittances, employment and investment for the South Asian nation.

Dar made the remarks during the third Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad, which he co-chaired with visiting Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The meeting was the first since July 2021.

Thanking Bahrain for its cooperation on the proposed agreement, Dar said the GCC secretary-general had informed him during a meeting in New York last month that the deal was nearly ready for signing.

“We are again grateful that, you know, the cooperation we are having on the GCC-FTA,” he said. “I had a meeting on the sidelines of [the UN General Assembly session in] New York, the Secretary General of GCC called on me and then he shared with me that it is almost ripe and barring perhaps only one country now, it needs to give green light, we can sign it.”

Dar did not identify the GCC member whose approval might still be required but indicated that Bahrain had already cleared the agreement.

“I know that you have already approved it,” he told Al Zayani. “It’s not you, the country, it is some other brother. So I’m going to actually follow up with him.”

The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. Pakistan has sought greater access to Gulf markets as part of efforts to diversify exports, attract foreign investment and strengthen economic ties with its traditional regional partners.

Speaking at a joint press stakeout after the commission meeting, Al Zayani said Bahrain was working to accelerate the agreement’s approval and signing.

“We have the presidency of the GCC to speed up the signing or the approval of the FTA, GCC-Pakistan FTA,” he said. “That also reflects on our relationship.”

Dar said concluding the agreement would also support Pakistan and Bahrain’s ambition to increase bilateral trade to $1 billion, a target agreed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Manama in November 2025.

The two countries also agreed on Thursday to expand cooperation across more than 15 areas, including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, information technology and labor mobility.

Al Zayani announced that the two sides would establish a joint working group on trade and investment and convene another working group on energy next month to discuss cooperation in oil, gas and minerals.

They also agreed to advance cooperation in food security, law enforcement, health, education, culture and sports.

Dar said the meeting had strengthened mechanisms for bilateral cooperation and would help ensure more regular engagement and implementation of decisions.

“A key outcome of the session was the strengthening of our institutional framework through the operationalization of several joint working groups,” he said.

The deputy prime minister also called for greater recognition of professional qualifications and improved mobility for skilled Pakistani workers in Bahrain, which hosts more than 140,000 Pakistanis, according to Al Zayani.

SAUDI AIRPORT ATTACKS

Al Zayani also condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 6 and 7, which left people dead and injured, including a Pakistani national among the wounded.

“We meet while the crisis in our region remains unresolved, and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is under daily threat,” he said during the commission meeting.

Bahrain blamed Yemen’s Houthi militia for the attacks and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying its security was integral to that of Bahrain and the wider GCC.

“Targeting airports and civilian facilities is a criminal act and a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” Al Zayani said.

“The security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of Bahrain and of the GCC, and we stand in full solidarity with it in all the measures it takes to safeguard its security and stability.”

At the joint press stakeout, Al Zayani said Pakistan and Bahrain had also discussed threats to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab, two strategically important waterways for international trade and energy supplies.

Dar said both countries had emphasized restraint, de-escalation and diplomacy in addressing regional tensions, including the need to protect freedom of navigation.

The ministers also discussed developments in Palestine, Afghanistan and South Asia, with Dar reiterating Pakistan’s concerns over cross-border security and India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.

Al Zayani praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue in the region, including its role in facilitating US-Iran engagement.

The Bahraini minister said both countries would continue coordinating at the UN Security Council, where they serve as non-permanent members, particularly on maritime security, regional stability and international law.