The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Qatar are two brotherly countries that have a strong and deep-rooted diplomatic relationship based on mutual respect, benefit, and support. They have multiple agreements in various fields, including politics, economy, trade exchange, investments, culture, education, and many other important fields. Recently, there have been many official visits and talks between the two countries’ governments on boosting bilateral economic cooperation in various sectors.
Since the beginning of diplomatic relations in the early seventies, there has been steady progress between Qatar and Pakistan. Pakistan considers Qatar as a reliable partner in support and looks forward to strengthening the bond both countries share on various levels. Some of the major things that Pakistan exports to Qatar are rice, leather, textiles, rags, cotton yarn, woven fabric, meat, etc. On the other hand, the major import items from Qatar to Pakistan include petroleum, plastic, organic chemicals, iron, etc.
Shedding light on recent agreements on trade and development between the two countries, the trade volume has increased as a result of the LNG supply agreement. Pakistan has been a major importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the year 2022 with two long-term LNG supply deals with Qatar. There was another agreement recently made that will allow the Pakistani government to provide troops for security at the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar this year. Moreover, there was an agreement made to increase the number of Pakistani blue-collar workers in Qatar to 100,000.
According to statistics, bilateral trade volume between the two countries has reached over QR10 billion and is still continuing steadily. The imports from Qatar to Pakistan amounted to US$2.66 billion in 2021, according to the statistics released by the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. During the visit to Qatar in August 2022 by the PM of Pakistan, it was also announced that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) plans to invest $3 billion in Pakistan.
Pakistan and Qatar enjoy exceptionally warm trade relations as two countries that share the same thoughts on global and regional affairs. The governments of both countries are continuously working to promote and encourage ways to widen bilateral economic relations. Hopefully, the recent visits and mutual agreements will play an important role in creating bilateral trade opportunities and strengthening cordial relations between the two countries to ensure mutual development and growth.