President advocates for economic, security cooperation with Bahrain

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called for stronger trade, investment and security cooperation between Pakistan and Bahrain, urging greater business-to-business engagement to translate longstanding political ties into deeper economic relations.

“There are opportunities for Bahrain for cooperation in food security, IT and digital services, construction, mining, port handling, research and development, tourism and healthcare,” the president said during a meeting with the visiting Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.

He said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Bahrain and was keen to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, economic engagement and security.

Al-Zayani is visiting Pakistan to attend the third session of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC).

The two sides first held a restricted meeting, followed by delegation-level talks covering a range of areas of bilateral cooperation.

Zardari said Pakistan wanted to build on strong political relations by expanding trade and investment ties.

He also welcomed Bahrain’s support for the Islamabad MoU and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, and appreciated its recognition of Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace, security and stability.

He described Pakistan-Bahrain defence ties as longstanding and trusted, reflected in joint exercises, high-level exchanges and institutional cooperation.

Pakistan, he added, was ready to further expand collaboration in manpower, logistics, training and defence hardware.

The president also appreciated Bahrain’s support for the more than 134,000 Pakistanis living in the kingdom and welcomed continued cooperation on issues concerning the Pakistani diaspora.

On the regional situation, Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to constructive engagement with all parties to build trust, bridge differences and promote lasting peace and stability.

Al-Zayani conveyed greetings from King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

He praised Pakistan’s efforts to mediate between warring parties, saying its initiatives had helped save many lives, and congratulated Islamabad on its successful tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The Bahraini minister said the JMC meetings had remained productive and covered several important areas of cooperation, while noting the positive impact of Zardari’s visit to Bahrain on bilateral relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Sherry Rehman, Saleem Mandviwalla, Naveed Qamar and senior officials attended the delegation-level meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026