August 13, 2026
A two-day Joint Ministerial Commission has produced agreement on online B2B sessions covering seafood, fruit, vegetables, seeds and dairy, mutual recognition of standards and testing, and a new Joint Working Group on Trade.
August 8, 2026
The trilateral defence pact has raised expectations of investment and trade running well beyond the military. Together the three countries represent an economic bloc worth more than $3 trillion and a market of nearly 380 million people — but economists caution that investors will still price Pakistan's own constraints.
August 4, 2026
Pakistan and Iran have reaffirmed a commitment to raise bilateral trade to $10 billion at the tenth Joint Trade Committee meeting in Islamabad. Iran's industry minister called Pakistan a long-term strategic partner and said he hoped a free trade agreement would be concluded soon.
July 29, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has told a visiting US congressional delegation and American business leaders that bilateral trade could double to $20 billion by 2031, inviting US firms to take advantage of what he described as an improving investment climate.
July 21, 2026
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand held formal meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on July 20–21, with discussions centred on expanding bilateral trade, education links and support for Pakistan's Pakistani-Canadian diaspora of more than 300,000 people. Canada described the visit as part of its Indo-Pacific engagement strategy. No formal agreements were pre-announced, though officials signalled continued engagement on visa facilitation and educational exchanges.
July 20, 2026
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in Islamabad on July 20 for an official visit — the first by a Canadian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly two decades. She met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The visit focuses on bilateral trade and investment, education, and people-to-people ties, underpinned by a Pakistani-Canadian diaspora of more than 300,000 people. Canada described the trip as part of its effort to deepen Indo-Pacific partnerships.
July 17, 2026
The European Commission has flagged significant compliance shortcomings in Pakistan's implementation of its GSP+ obligations ahead of the 2027 preferential trade review, saying Pakistan has "regressed in a number of areas" including enforced disappearances, media freedom, blasphemy law misuse and anti-terrorism legislation that permits detention without meaningful judicial oversight. Pakistan receives approximately €732 million in annual EU tariff concessions under the GSP+ framework and must reapply under stricter criteria from 2027.
July 12, 2026
Pakistan and the United States have reported "significant progress" following two days of negotiations in Washington on July 9-10 over a Pakistan-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul, who led the Pakistani delegation, described the talks as productive and said both sides narrowed differences and built consensus toward finalising the agreement. A separate track coordinated by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during his Washington visit linked trade discussions to Pakistan's role as mediator in the US-Iran diplomacy.
July 11, 2026
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Washington for meetings with senior US officials as Pakistan moves to deepen its bilateral trade and security relationship while simultaneously pressing its role as co-mediator in the US-Iran ceasefire effort. The Washington visit follows Naqvi's attendance at the UNCOPS summit in New York and a meeting with UN Secretary-General Guterres. Pakistan and Qatar are continuing to work through diplomatic back-channels to bring the US and Iran back to negotiations.
July 11, 2026
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Washington for meetings with senior US officials as Pakistan moves to deepen its bilateral trade and security relationship while simultaneously pressing its role as co-mediator in the US-Iran ceasefire effort. The Washington visit follows Naqvi's attendance at the UNCOPS summit in New York and a meeting with UN Secretary-General Guterres. Pakistan and Qatar are continuing to work through diplomatic back-channels to bring the US and Iran back to negotiations.
Editor — Hamza Azhar Salam · Write to us with suggestions or tips
October 26, 2026
The Pakistan Daily
October 26, 2026
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