KARACHI – Pakistan and Kazakhstan moved decisively toward deeper strategic and economic partnership as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rolled out ceremonial welcome for Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in a high-stakes push to transform regional trade, connectivity and investment ties.
President Tokayev was accorded guard of honour by Pakistan’s armed forces upon his arrival at prime minister’s official residence. Islamabad wore festive look, with major streets decorated with Kazakhstan’s national flags, a visible sign of importance attached to the visit.
Two sides are slated to hold both one-on-one and delegation-level talks, with multiple agreements and memorandums of understanding expected to be signed across a wide range of sectors. Officials say the discussions aim to elevate bilateral relations from cordial diplomacy to concrete economic action.
Islamabad and Astana enjoy strong ties, with Kazakhstan standing out as Pakistan’s largest export destination in Central Asia. President Tokayev is accompanied by a powerful delegation of senior cabinet ministers and top officials, underscoring Astana’s intent to secure tangible outcomes from the visit.
Trade corridors, rail links and investment in focus in high-stakes Talks
Momentum extended beyond ceremonial engagements as Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan held intensive talks with Kazakhstan’s Minister for Trade and Integration Arman Shaqqaliev at the Ministry of Commerce in Islamabad. The discussions focused squarely on unlocking trade potential through improved connectivity, infrastructure development and investment cooperation.
Two sides agreed that modern railways, road networks and multimodal transport corridors are critical to boosting Pakistan–Kazakhstan trade and ensuring long-term economic integration. Kazakh minister also highlighted Kazakhstan’s strategic ambition to position itself as a regional transit hub linking Central Asia with South Asia, China, Europe and the Global South, with Pakistan’s ports playing key role in it.
Pakistan aim to strengthen transit routes to reshape regional and global trade flows. The ministers identified wide range of priority sectors for cooperation, including agriculture and food security, pharmaceuticals, textiles, sports goods, leather products, mining and minerals, energy and large-scale infrastructure development.
They also agreed on need to formalise business-to-business engagement. Both sides committed to finalising a comprehensive framework document outlining priority sectors, trade targets and a clear roadmap featuring trade missions, exhibitions and regular exchanges of delegations. Ministers further pledged to convert economic promise into measurable outcomes through sustained institutional coordination and active private-sector participation.
The diplomatic importance was further underscored by an earlier announcement from the President’s Secretariat, which confirmed that President Asif Ali Zardari will confer the Nishan-i-Pakistan on presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Uzbek president is expected to visit Pakistan later this month.
President Tokayev will also meet President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and address the Pakistan–Kazakhstan Business Forum. Officials described the visit as an “important and timely opportunity” to conduct a comprehensive review of bilateral relations and identify new avenues of cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people contacts.
