Bahrain bestows Pakistan’s prime minister with nation’s highest honor; leaders discuss deepening trade and security ties
ISLAMABAD: Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Wednesday awarded Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the Order of Bahrain (First Class) during talks in Manama, where the two leaders reaffirmed their historic partnership and reviewed political, economic and defense cooperation, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced.
Pakistan and Bahrain established diplomatic relations in 1971 and maintain close economic, labor, and defense cooperation. Bahrain is home to more than 120,000 Pakistanis and is an important source of remittances for Islamabad.
Economic engagement between the two countries has accelerated this year, following the Pakistan-Bahrain Investment Summit, where companies signed deals worth $13 million, and with the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement now in its final stages.
After meeting with Hamad, Prime Minister Sharif’s office announced, “The King of Bahrain has awarded Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif the Order of Bahrain (first class). This is the highest award Bahrain bestows on a head of state or government.”
The King emphasized the historical ties between the two countries, noting that the Kingdom of Bahrain “had the privilege of being represented in the court by none other than the founding father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who served as Bahrain’s lawyer.”
Both sides confirmed the “encouraging momentum” in bilateral relations and agreed to strengthen cooperation across political, economic, defense and cultural fields. According to the PMO, Prime Minister Sharif expressed gratitude for Bahrain’s support, including the establishment of the King Hamad College of Nursing and Allied Health in Islamabad and the amnesty of Pakistani prisoners of war.
Earlier, Sharif held separate talks with Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, and proposed increasing bilateral trade from more than $550 million to $1 billion within three years, on the back of progress on the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and relaxation of visa rules.
Prime Minister Sharif’s office said of the meeting with the crown prince that “economic cooperation was the main focus.”
“The Prime Minister highlighted that with the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and the recent relaxation of visa requirements, bilateral trade, currently over $550 million, could increase to $1 billion within three years.”
Sharif called on Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mining and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy and tourism. He also proposed strengthening port-to-port connectivity between Karachi or Gwadar and Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port to improve cargo movement and Gulf maritime integration.
The PMO said the two countries also discussed academic cooperation, governance reforms and support for Pakistani expatriates.
“Prime Minister Sharif welcomed further cooperation in higher education, technical training and digital governance, building on the work of King Hamad University, and expressed gratitude to Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.”
Defense cooperation is also an area of expansion, with both governments aiming to deepen cooperation in training, cybersecurity, defense production, and information sharing.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a key part of the conversation, with both leaders agreeing that “the establishment of peace and stability is long overdue for the people of Gaza, who have suffered for decades.”
The PMO said the Crown Prince’s meeting “ended with confidence that the discussions would lead to concrete results and further improve Pakistan-Bahrain relations in the areas of strategy, economy, security and people-to-people relations.”
