ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran are negotiating seventeen new protocols covering banking facilitation, logistics, shipping, aviation, free zones, high-end manufacturing, agriculture, and investment promotion.
Both sides discussed progress on these proposed pacts at a meeting of Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in Tehran.
Addressing at Pak-Iran Business Forum 2025 on the sidelines of the 22nd session of the Pakistan–Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in Tehran, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan called for a “new chapter of shared prosperity” between Pakistan and Iran.
$10bn trade aimed at Islamabad, Tehran discuss FTA prospects
Khan thanked the Government of Iran while addressing Farzaneh Sadegh, Minister for Road and Urban Development, and the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization for their “gracious hospitality and impeccable arrangements,” noting that “our economic partnership must be as deep and enduring as the religious, cultural and historical bonds that have united our peoples for centuries.”
The minister outlined a series of ongoing and planned initiatives to transform bilateral trade, including (i) seventeen new protocols under negotiation covering banking facilitation, logistics, shipping, aviation, free zones, high-end manufacturing, agriculture, and investment promotion; (ii) Operationalisation of border markets and special economic zones such as the Manpashin joint market to boost livelihoods in border areas; (iii) Enhanced investor outreach under Pakistan’s new five-year economic transformation plan “URAN Pakistan,” designed to expand foreign direct investment in energy, minerals, agriculture and manufacturing, (iv) Close technical coordination between Pakistani and Iranian teams to resolve long-standing impediments in Customs, tariffs, and regulatory processes.
Khan stressed that the Government of Pakistan, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has placed “the highest strategic priority” on expanding trade and connectivity with Iran, backed by ongoing economic stabilization and reforms at home.
“Our industrial sector is improving, services and IT are rising, and foreign investment is looking to Pakistan,” he noted.
Khan also invited Iranian companies to participate in Pakistan’s upcoming Agriculture Expo in November 2025, calling it “a gateway to explore manufacturing hubs, meet counterparts and discover new markets.”
He confirmed plans to hold the 23rd session of the Joint Economic Commission in Pakistan “very soon” to ensure close follow-up on all agreements signed in Tehran.
Iranian minister for Road and Urban Development of Iran, in her remarks lauded the “remarkable enhancement” of bilateral trade in recent years, noting it had crossed USD 3.1 billion last year and expressed the hope that under the vision of both leaderships the two sides would move steadily toward USD 10 billion trade target.
She stressed leveraging each other’s comparative advantages to strengthen supply chains and competitiveness and highlighted Iran’s keen interest in joint investment projects in pharmaceuticals, engineered goods, ceramics and other high-value sectors.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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