Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif receives a guard of honor at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace in Manama on November 26, 2025. Photo: Saba
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa have agreed to raise bilateral trade between Pakistan and Bahrain to US$1 billion within three years, setting one of the strongest economic targets between the two countries in recent years.
The commitment was made during a meeting at Qasr Al-Qudaibiya in Manama, where both leaders put economic cooperation at the center of their discussions. Current trade between the two nations is more than US$550 million, with both sides expressing readiness to accelerate growth through the near-completed Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and recent visa facilitation aimed at improving business mobility.
Prime Minister Shehbaz invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mining and minerals, renewable energy, health and tourism. He also suggested improved port-to-port connectivity between Karachi or Gwadar and the Khalifa bin Salman port to facilitate smoother trade flows. The two leaders reviewed defense and security ties and agreed to expand cooperation in training, cyber security, defense production and information exchange.
The premier thanked Bahrain for its long-standing support for the more than 150,000-strong Pakistani community and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to providing more skilled labour. He also acknowledged Bahrain’s assistance in building King Hamad University in Islamabad and in facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.
Both sides also exchanged views on developments in Gaza and expressed hope that recent steps towards stability would bring long-awaited relief to the country’s people. The meeting ended with optimism that the renewed dialogue would deliver tangible progress across strategic, economic, security and people-to-people ties.
