ISLAMABAD: In a major relocation trend, as many as 80 companies of Pakistani origin have been registered in Uzbekistan over the past year, with several others currently in the pipeline, signalling a strengthening of business engagement between the two countries.

This was disclosed by Uzbekistan Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov in a meeting with Commerce Minister Jam Kamal on Tuesday. The meeting reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation and agreed on practical steps to accelerate trade, investment, connectivity and sectoral partnerships.

An official announcement issued after the meeting said that 228 Pakistani companies are currently operating in Uzbekistan. Both sides discussed expanding partnerships in priority sectors, including food security, mining, textiles, leather and pharmaceuticals, as well as value-added manufacturing and specialised industrial cooperation.

Mr Kudratov said Uzbek companies are keen to explore investment opportunities, including in food security and meat production, rice cultivation, and mining.

Welcoming the Uzbek delegation, Mr Kamal said that Pakistan-Uzbekistan engagement has intensified significantly over the past two years through frequent high-level contacts and institutional follow-up, and stressed that the priority now is to “materialise” opportunities by closing gaps in logistics, business linkages and implementation.

He also emphasised the importance of maintaining streamlined trade and investment coordination, while reaffirming Pakistan’s full support for Uzbekistan’s trade development initiatives.

The Uzbek minister said both sides were preparing for an important upcoming high-level visit from Uzbekistan, which, he expressed confidence, would mark another milestone in bilateral partnership. He highlighted improving trade indicators, sharing that bilateral trade had increased by around 10 per cent last year, with Uzbekistan’s imports from Pakistan rising by about 12pc, while Uzbek exports to Pakistan grew by around 8pc.

He underlined the need to balance and scale trade, setting an ambitious target of $2 billion in bilateral trade through deeper industrial cooperation and new sectoral collaboration.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2026