By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kazakhstan elevated their ties to a strategic partnership on Wednesday, signing 37 memoranda of understanding and pledging to boost bilateral trade to $1 billion within a year, as leaders from both nations emphasised the need for stronger regional integration through enhanced connectivity and economic collaboration.
The agreements were inked in the presence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who had arrived in Islamabad a day earlier for an official visit — the first by a Kazakh president to Pakistan in 23 years.
Landlocked Kazakhstan has been eager to gain access to global maritime trade routes via Pakistan’s Arabian Sea ports, while Islamabad has sought to position itself as a pivotal transit hub connecting Central Asia with South Asia, the Middle East and beyond. “We had very useful and productive meetings since morning, and just now we have had this signing ceremony of 37 MOUs,” Sharif told a gathering at the Prime Minister’s House, voicing optimism that the understandings would quickly evolve into enforceable agreements and be put into action.
The pacts span a wide array of sectors, including transport and logistics, with a focus on rail, road and multimodal corridors. Sharif extended an offer for Kazakhstan to utilise Pakistan’s transit infrastructure and seaports, framing it as part of a larger push to improve linkages across Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Sharif conceded that existing trade volumes fall far short of what the two countries could achieve. “Unfortunately, our trade volume was just meager $250 million during the last year,” he said. “This does not reflect, not only the strength of our friendship, but also the potential of the two countries … Let us make a commitment that we will take up our trade volume to $1 billion in the next one year.”
Tokayev, addressing the ceremony, underscored Pakistan’s significance to his nation. “Pakistan is a reliable and important partner of Kazakhstan in South Asia and beyond,” he said. “Our peoples are united by centuries-old ties rooted in the legacy of the Great Silk Road, as well as by deep cultural and spiritual affinity.”
Beyond transportation, the memoranda encompass energy, agriculture, mining and minerals, pharmaceuticals, defence production, digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The two sides committed to fostering joint ventures, especially in food processing, agricultural value chains and industrial production.
Investment emerged as a key pillar, with plans to establish a joint platform involving Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth entities and Pakistani counterparts to pinpoint viable projects in mining, energy and infrastructure. Discussions also extended to education, science and culture, where both nations agreed to broaden academic exchanges, forge institutional ties between universities and encourage people-to-people interactions through cultural and sporting programs.
At a joint business forum between the two countries, Sharif announced the formation of a joint working group charged with crafting a five-year roadmap to expand commerce, trade and bilateral investments. He noted that Islamabad had named Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to lead the Pakistani delegation, while Kazakhstan appointed its deputy prime minister to head its side. “And I think this will be a very important decision which will lead to a wonderful five years roadmap, and hopefully we will sign this document during my visit to your great country, Mr. President,” Sharif said.
Tokayev reported that the forum had yielded more than 30 commercial agreements totaling around $200 million. “I hope that in the next six or seven years we will be able to talk about billions and billions of dollars,” he said. “I have instructed my government to intensify B2B engagement between our countries, including through the Kazakhstan-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission.”
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