Pakistan, Qatar push trade, investment, and defence ties during PM Shehbaz’s Doha visit

Pakistan and Qatar reaffirmed their commitment to deepening economic, trade, and defence cooperation during high-level talks in Doha on Tuesday, coinciding with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit.

The PM met H.E. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade and chairman of the Pak-Qatar Joint Business Task Force. Discussions focused on enhancing private-sector collaboration, business-to-business linkages, and expanding bilateral trade volumes. PM Shehbaz highlighted the need to diversify Pakistan’s exports to Qatar, particularly in agriculture, food items, and value-added goods, while underlining investment-friendly reforms and the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in facilitating foreign investment.

Both sides reviewed follow-up measures from the 6th Session of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission and agreed to convene a task force meeting during Ramadan to discuss concrete proposals for Qatari investment in Pakistan. “The meeting underscored the shared resolve to further deepen trade, investment and industrial collaboration,” said a PMO statement.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi also attended the discussions. PM Shehbaz is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with the Amir of Qatar, focusing on energy partnerships, infrastructure development, and people-to-people exchanges.

In a separate engagement, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, met PM Shehbaz to discuss bilateral defence and security cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed historic military ties, reviewed regional developments in Iran and Afghanistan, and stressed dialogue, de-escalation, and collective efforts to promote regional stability. Sheikh Saoud appreciated the professionalism of the Pakistan Armed Forces and expressed interest in deepening defence collaboration.

The Doha visit underscores the long-standing fraternal ties between Pakistan and Qatar and reflects the leaderships’ shared commitment to advancing multifaceted cooperation in trade, investment, energy, and defence.