ISLAMABAD: Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived in Pakistan on Saturday on a two-day state visit, marking a rare high-level engagement between the two countries as Islamabad seeks to deepen ties with Middle Eastern partners amid regional volatility and domestic economic challenges.
The king was received at Noor Khan Airbase by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He later attended a ceremonial reception at the Prime Minister House, which included a guard of honour, the playing of both nations’ anthems, and the planting of a tree in the Prime Minister House gardens.
During the ceremony, Prime Minister Sharif introduced his cabinet members to the visiting king, who in turn introduced members of his delegation to the prime minister.
The warm welcome underscored the symbolic weight Islamabad is placing on the visit. Jordan and Pakistan have a long history of diplomatic relations, though high-level engagement has been sporadic. Both countries had earlier taken part in discussions on US President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza peace framework, alongside Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates – talks that ultimately went nowhere but underscored Jordan’s diplomatic role in the region and Pakistan’s desire to remain engaged with major Muslim states.
While those talks ultimately did not progress, they reflected Jordan’s central role in regional diplomacy and Pakistan’s ongoing effort to maintain engagement with key Muslim-majority states.
According to Foreign Office, King Abdullah will hold meetings with senior civilian and military officials, with discussions covering security co-operation, economic ties, and regional issues.
The Foreign Office described the visit as an opportunity to review the “full range of bilateral relations,” though no specific agreements were announced ahead of the trip.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office noted that the visit followed an invitation from Prime Minister Sharif and would serve to further strengthen the political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries. Despite the historic ties, economic relations between Pakistan and Jordan remain limited. Bilateral trade reached only USD46.6 million in 2023, according to Pakistan’s embassy in Amman. Around 16,000 Pakistanis live and work in Jordan, primarily in service-sector roles. The sources said that Islamabad may use the visit to seek Jordan’s support on diplomatic matters, including Pakistan’s stance on the Gaza conflict, and to explore closer defence collaboration.
For Pakistan, the visit comes at a critical time, as the country seeks to broaden its foreign partnerships while navigating political instability at home and preparing for new negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
For Jordan, the trip represents a continuation of its diplomatic outreach, as the kingdom manages its own economic pressures and maintains a central role in Middle Eastern affairs. The two countries were among the earliest to formalise diplomatic relations after Pakistan’s creation, with Jordan being the fifth country to recognise the newly independent state. Over seven decades later, Islamabad and Amman continue to emphasise shared cultural, political, and religious links, even as they face differing domestic and regional challenges.
King Abdullah’s visit will conclude today (Sunday), with both sides hoping it will pave the way for strengthened cooperation in trade, security, and regional diplomacy in the years ahead.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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