Manama: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Bahrain at Al-Qudaibiya Palace in Manama today. The Prime Minister was received with a guard of honor and expressed gratitude for Bahrain's warm hospitality.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated Bahrain on its election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (2026-2027) and expressed Pakistan's readiness for close coordination during its tenure.

Economic cooperation was a key focus. Prime Minister Sharif highlighted the potential to increase bilateral trade from over USD 550 million to USD 1 billion within three years, supported by the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and recently eased visa requirements. He invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism, and proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

The Prime Minister acknowledged Bahrain's support for over 150,000 Pakistanis residing in the kingdom and reaffirmed Pakistan's readiness to provide skilled manpower. He welcomed collaboration in higher education, technical training, and digital governance, building on the King Hamad University initiative, and thanked Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.

Defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with both sides agreeing to expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production, and information sharing.

The leaders further discussed the situation in Gaza, agreeing that peace and stability were long overdue for its people, who have suffered for decades.

The meeting concluded with confidence that the discussions will lead to tangible outcomes, further strengthening Pakistan-Bahrain ties across strategic, economic, security, and people-to-people domains.