By Haris Ahmed
Pakistan and Bahrain have settled to speed up actions to double shared business trade to $1 billion inside three years as the two lands held the third meeting of their Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who reached Pakistan yesterday night for a two-day stay, co-led the JMC meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Speaking at a shared news briefing with Al Zayani on Thursday, DPM Dar expressed that both lands have signed the paper of the third meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission, showing the shared intent to further reinforce and grow shared teamwork in fields of mutual interest. He noted that a top result of the session stood the strengthening of the official frame through the starting of multiple shared working groups. He expressed these setups will assist ensure regular contact and correct execution of the choices taken by the Joint Ministerial Commission.
The second prime minister expressed both flanks agreed to raise teamwork in trade and investment backing, factory collaboration, farming and food safety, skills growth, higher schooling, information technology, shipping and sea affairs, among alternate fields.
DPM Dar further expressed that the two sides restated their promise to making teamwork stronger in worker movement, vocational training and human resource growth with a view to building fresh openings for skilled Pakistani experts and workers.
Addressing the briefing, Dar expressed he talked about events in South Asia, including Afghanistan and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), with his Bahrain partner.
On the IWT, he stressed that India’s one-sided choice to place the pact on hold forms a real breach of world law and shows a dangerous attempt to turn shared water resources into a weapon.
Dar expressed that they likewise shared thoughts on the changing state in the Gulf and stressed the weight of control, lowering tension, talks and diplomacy.
In his words, the Bahraini minister noted that both flanks have agreed to set up a shared working group on trade and investment, to gather the shared working group on power next month on oil, gas and minerals, and to push forward teamwork in food safety, law enforcement, media, worker movement, health, schooling, culture and sports.
He expressed the two sides likewise promised to complete the GCC-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement.
Answering a query, Al Zayani noted that the Pakistan-Bahrain link remains very tough and the two lands hold to double their business trade in three years.
JMC meeting
Meanwhile, during the third JMC session, DPM Dar expressed Pakistan and Bahrain have fixed a goal to raise shared trade size to $1bn.
He expressed actions remain being made to further reinforce shared links and raise teamwork in diverse fields. The second prime minister stressed that both lands must make shared actions to reach the trade goals through business-to-business and government-to-government links.
Dar expressed near 134,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain, and there remains a demand to further assist the movement of skilled Pakistani workers.
Bahrain’s FM strongly spoke against the October 6 and 7 strikes on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, as well as strikes by the Houthis on civilians and civilian setups and assaults focusing on Makkah and Madina.
He labeled strikes on airports and civilian infrastructure a breach of world law and international humanitarian law.
“Bahrain views Saudi Arabia’s safety vital to its own and the GCC’s safety and showed complete support for Riyadh,” he supplemented.
He valued Pakistan’s helpful part under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in hosting talks in Islamabad and backing dialogue and lowering tension.
Before the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting, the two foreign ministers held a separate session at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following Al Zayani’s arrival in Pakistan. In a note on X, the Foreign Office expressed the two ministers checked Pakistan-Bahrain links and voiced happiness with the good speed in top-level contact between the two lands.
