• Deep-sea ports can change fate of entire region, PM Shehbaz stresses
• Kazakh president terms Pakistan ‘a reliable partner in South Asia’
• 30 commercial accords worth around $200m signed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kaz­­akhstan have agreed to establish a strategic partnership and ple­­­d­ged to increase bilateral trade to $1 billion, capping Kaz­a­kh President Kassym-Jomart To­k­­a­yev’s two-day state visit with the signing of a joint declaration and several cooperation agreements.

“This visit is a historic milestone that elevates the traditional friendly relations between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership,” the joint declaration said, committing both sides to deepen cooperation in political, economic, defence and regional connectivity domains.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Kazakhstan as a “strategic and highly valued partner” in Central Asia, calling the joint declaration a major step forward in bilateral ties. Speaking at a joint press conference with President Tokayev, PM Shehbaz emphasised the importance of implementing the agreements reached during the visit.

“I am absolutely confident that with our collaboration and discussion today, with productive, encouraging outcomes and this signing ceremony, we will not only reinvigorate our relations but also give a huge impetus to our bilateral ties,” the premier said.

He said his meeting with the Kazakh president had produced a clear direction for future engagement and provided a “roadmap for our future cooperation” covering trade, connectivity and regional integration.

The two countries also agreed to establish a working committee, comprising senior ministers and officials, to develop a roadmap for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation over the next five years.

President Tokayev’s visit, the first by a Kazakh president to Pakistan in 23 years, featured high-level discussions, including meetings with key ministers and military officials.

The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and expressed satisfaction with the increasing frequency of high-level exchanges and the effectiveness of institutional mechanisms like Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Intergov­ernmental Com­mi­ssion.

In his remarks, President Tokayev said Pakistan was a reliable and important partner in South Asia and reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s interest in expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.

He said the two leaders discussed the capabilities of Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar as priority issues, the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and transit routes passing through Afghanistan, and exploring the resumption of direct air links between the two countries.

The two leaders oversaw the signing of 37 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and agreements covering diverse areas such as trade and investment, petroleum and mining, transport and logistics, maritime affairs, agriculture, IT, education, culture, climate change and defence. Additionally, accords on extradition and transit trade were concluded to strengthen legal cooperation and facilitate the movement of goods.

Both nations agreed to work towards increasing bilateral trade to $1 billion from its current level of around $250 million. PM Shehbaz urged the business communities of both countries to take the lead in expanding commercial ties, assuring full facilitation to Kazakh investors.

To support this objective, the governments of both countries agreed to form a joint working group to develop a five-year roadmap for boosting trade, investment and industrial cooperation. Improved connectivity, particularly through improved rail and road links across Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as greater use of Pakistan’s ports, was highlighted as a central pillar of the partnership.

The two sides also agreed to establish a biennial strategic dialogue at the level of deputy prime minister or foreign minister to review and implement cooperation under the strategic partnership framework. Both leaders stressed the importance of regular political and consular consultations and welcomed the signing of an action plan for cooperation between the foreign ministries for 2025-26.

On security and defence, the leaders welcomed the signing of a treaty on extradition, an agreement on combating crimes and an MOU on joint deployment in UN peacekeeping missions, reflecting a growing convergence in security cooperation.

According to the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Astana and Islamabad agreed that conflicts should be resolved through diplomatic efforts. It quoted President Tokayev as saying that during negotiations with PM Shehbaz, international and regional issues were discussed, focusing on joint efforts to promote peace and security.

The news agency also reported that PM Shehbaz had accepted an invitation from the Kazakh president to visit Astana this year.

Gwadar, Karachi ports

Later, PM Shehbaz offered Pakistan’s deep-sea ports at Gwadar and Karachi as a vital trade outlet for Central Asian states, saying that this could change the fate of the entire region.

Emphasising plans to rapidly expand rail and road links via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the prime minister reaffirmed a strong commitment to a landmark connectivity project, terming it a potential game-changer that could transform economic integration between Pakistan, Kazakhstan and the entire Central Asian region.

“Pakistan is fully committed to participate and contribute meaningfully in undertaking this project, as it will be a game changer,” PM Shehbaz said while addressing Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum in Islamabad.

He said Pakistan’s state-owned logistics entities are fully prepared to facilitate the movement of goods from Central Asia to Pakistani ports and onwards to international destinations.

Addressing the forum, President Tokayev said his state visit marked a turning point in Pakistan-Kazakhstan relations, adding that the business forum resulted in more than 30 commercial agreements worth around $200 million.

President Tokayev said trade turnover between the two countries nearly doubled last year and over 200 Pakistani companies are currently operating in Kazakhstan in sectors, including construction, agriculture and food processing.

Potato imports

Meanwhile, Kaza­khstan expressed interest in importing 50,000 tonnes of potatoes from Pakistan, with an export timeline set from April to June 2026. This agreement was seen as a significant development for Pakistani farmers, as it would boost exports while benefiting local agriculture.

The commerce ministry also announced that consultations on technical and commercial matters between both countries had been completed, paving the way for the potato exports.

In addition, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal held talks with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shaqqaliev to explore new opportunities for expanding economic cooperation. The meeting focused on improving connectivity and trade potential between the two countries, particularly through rail, road and multimodal transport links.

The ministers also discussed priority sectors for cooperation, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, sports goods, leather products, mining and energy.

Separately, JazzWorld announced a partnership with Kazakhstan’s QazCode LLP to accelerate AI and software exports, strengthen digital trade and build regional market access for Pakistani technology solutions.

Under the agreement, the partners will jointly develop and commercialise AI-driven products, exchange advanced engineering and delivery best practices, and establish structured innovation pipelines spanning telecom, enterprise and public-sector use cases.

Mubarak Zeb Khan and Kalbe Ali also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2026