PM meets Bahrain’s Crown Prince, focuses on expanding economic cooperation

MANAMA: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, here at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace.

Both leaders emphasized enhanced bilateral economic cooperation between the two friendly nations.

The prime minister was presented with a guard of honor upon his arrival at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace.

Prime Minister Sharif, during the call on with the Crown Prince, thanked him for the warm hospitality and commended Bahrain’s leadership in strengthening bilateral ties.

The PM congratulated Bahrain on its success for the UN Security Council non permanent membership for a 2 year term 2026-2027 and expressed Pakistan’s readiness for close coordination during its tenure.

The meeting focussed on economic cooperation, where the prime minister highlighted the potential to increase bilateral trade, currently over USD 550 million, to USD 1 billion within three years, supported by the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement, which is at advanced stage of finalisation and recently eased visa requirements.

He invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism.

He also proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

The prime minister acknowledged Bahrain’s support for the over 150,000-strong Pakistani community and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to provide more skilled manpower.

He welcomed further collaboration in higher education, technical training, and digital governance, building on the King Hamad University initiative, and thanked Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.

Defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with both sides agreeing to further expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production, and information sharing.

Both leaders discussed the recent developments in Gaza, and agreed that the establishment of peace and stability was long overdue for the people of Gaza who have suffered for decades.

The meeting concluded with confidence that the discussions will translate into tangible outcomes and further elevate Pakistan–Bahrain relations across strategic, economic, security and people-to-people domains.