Pakistan and Kazakhstan Set $1bn Target for Expanding Trade Ties
Islamabad: Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to significantly expand their economic partnership, setting an ambitious target to raise bilateral trade to $1 billion in the near future, as leaders from both countries pledged closer cooperation across trade, energy, connectivity and investment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the goal while addressing a joint press conference with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is on a two-day official visit to Pakistan. The visit marks the first by a Kazakh president in more than two decades and signals renewed momentum in bilateral relations.
During the visit, the two sides signed more than two dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding covering key sectors such as petroleum, mining, maritime affairs, agriculture, energy, transport, information technology and defence cooperation. Both leaders stressed the importance of swiftly translating these understandings into practical agreements and on-ground implementation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted that despite strong political relations, trade between the two countries stood at around $250 million last year, far below potential. He called on business communities from both sides to invest in joint ventures and take advantage of emerging opportunities, particularly in energy, minerals, logistics and industrial cooperation.
A major focus of the talks was regional connectivity, with agreement on enhancing transport links through proposed corridors connecting Central Asia to South Asia. Pakistan offered Kazakhstan full access to its transit infrastructure and seaports, including Karachi and Gwadar, positioning itself as a key gateway to international markets.
President Tokayev described Pakistan as a reliable and important partner in South Asia and beyond, announcing the signing of a joint declaration establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries. He said elevating ties would unlock new opportunities across bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Both leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in energy projects, agriculture, education, science, digital technologies and artificial intelligence, while exploring the resumption of direct air links to improve people-to-people contact and business travel.
On the commercial front, trade and commerce ministers from both countries held separate meetings to map out a roadmap for economic cooperation, emphasising improved rail and road connectivity, structured business-to-business engagement, and collaboration in priority sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, mining, food security and infrastructure development.
President Tokayev also welcomed Pakistani investors, assuring favourable conditions for businesses in Kazakhstan, and expressed confidence that upcoming business forums would help unlock untapped trade and investment potential.
Officials on both sides described the visit as a timely opportunity to deepen ties, strengthen regional connectivity and transform Pakistan–Kazakhstan relations from promise into performance.
