PM Shehbaz, Bahrain Crown Prince Agree to Deepen Economic and Strategic Cooperation

Manama, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday held a meeting with Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, at Al-Qudaibiya Palace, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral economic, strategic, and people-to-people ties.

Upon his arrival, Prime Minister Sharif was accorded a guard of honour. He expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality and praised the Bahraini leadership’s role in advancing strong relations between the two friendly nations.

Congratulating Bahrain on securing a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2026–2027, the Prime Minister assured Pakistan’s readiness for close coordination during its tenure.

Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. The Prime Minister highlighted the potential to expand bilateral trade—currently exceeding USD 550 million—to USD 1 billion within three years. He noted that the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement, now in its advanced stages, along with recently relaxed visa measures, would support this target. Sharif invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism. He also proposed enhancing port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Khalifa Bin Salman Port to accelerate commercial linkages.

Prime Minister Sharif praised Bahrain’s support for the more than 150,000 Pakistanis residing in the Kingdom and reaffirmed Pakistan’s willingness to provide additional skilled manpower. He welcomed increased cooperation in higher education, technical training, and digital governance—building on the King Hamad University initiative—and thanked the Bahraini government for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.

The two sides also reviewed defence and security cooperation, agreeing to expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production, and information sharing.

Exchanging views on regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza, both leaders underscored the urgent need for peace and stability for the long-suffering population.

The meeting concluded with mutual confidence that the discussions would lead to concrete outcomes, further elevating Pakistan–Bahrain relations across strategic, economic, security, and societal domains.