Bahrain working to speed up approval of Pak-Gulf FTA
• Foreign Minister Al Zayani discusses Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab with Ishaq Dar
• Visiting dignitary also calls on President Zardari, PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir
ISLAMABAD: Bahrain said on Thursday that it was working to “speed up” the approval of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The remarks came after the two countries held the third session of their Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who arrived in the country on Wednesday night, co-chaired the JMC session with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Addressing a joint press briefing with Mr Dar, the Bahraini minister said the JMC meeting covered “more than 15 fields”.
He said both sides agreed to establish a joint working group on trade and investment, as well as to convene the joint working group on energy next month to discuss oil, gas and minerals.
They also agreed to take forward cooperation in food security, information technology, law enforcement, media, labour mobility, health, education, culture and sports.
“We also committed to finalising the GCC-Pakistan FTA,” he said. The minister said Bahrain, which currently holds the GCC presidency, was working to “speed up the signing or the approval of the FTA”.
Noting that the targeting of civilian facilities was a “flagrant violation” of international law, Mr Al Zayani affirmed Bahrain’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, “whose security is an integral part of our own and of the GCC”.
The Bahraini minister said he and Mr Dar had also discussed the crises in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, where “commercial vessels continue to come under attack”.
Mr Al Zayani vowed that Bahrain and Pakistan would continue “close coordination” at the UN Security Council and between their missions in New York. He also noted that the two countries would mark 55 years of diplomatic ties on Oct 14.
In his remarks, Mr Dar said a key outcome of the session was the strengthening of the institutional framework through “the operationalisation of several joint working groups”, adding that these mechanisms would help ensure effective implementation of the decisions taken by the JMC.
The Bahraini foreign minister also called on President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to a press release by the President’s Secretariat, the two leaders first held a restricted meeting, followed by a delegation-level meeting.
Mr Zardari, in conversation with Mr Al Zayani, said Pakistan was “keen to translate strong bilateral political relations into deeper trade and investment ties”.
Mr Al Zayani also called on PM Shehbaz, who warmly welcomed him and conveyed his best wishes to the leadership and people of Bahrain, according to a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office.
In his meeting with Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, matters of mutual interest, the regional security situation, and bilateral defence and security were discussed, according to ISPR.
Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2026
