The Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan on Thursday visited Qatar, his second visit since he became Pakistan's prime minister in August 2018.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met the Pakistani prime minister at the Amiri Diwan to discuss bilateral relations and the means to enhance them.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of joint interest, including the Afghan peace deal that is set to be signed in Doha later this week.

Officials from the two countries have shown commitment to advancing ties by exchanging visits in recent years, including His Higness's visit to Pakistan in March 2015 and a second visit in June 2019.

Bilateral ties between Qatar and Pakistan are strong and wide-ranging.

They cover politics, commerce, defence and culture.

The two sides coordinate their positions in international gatherings with the aim of serving peace, security, and stability.

The two sides also hold political consultations and meetings of joint committees, in addition to agreements and memorandums of understanding signed in the fields of politics, economy, commerce, security, education, media, sports, meteorology, and prevention of tax duplicity.

There is also a 20-year agreement to export LNG from the State of Qatar to Pakistan, and another agreement of a direct shipping service between Hamad and Karachi ports.

Bilateral trade volume grew 63% in 2018 to reach QR9.5bn, making Pakistan one of Qatar's most important trade partners.

The number of Qatari-Pakistani joint companies operating in Qatar exceeds 1,500 in various fields.

Pakistan is considered to be an attractive investment destination to Qatari investments in necessary sectors such as power, agriculture, information technology, communication, strategic and petrochemical industries, in addition to the financial sector, insurance, real estate and furthermore sectors.

Pakistan exports rice, leather, yarn, textile, cotton, fabrics and meat to the State of Qatar while main items imported by Pakistan from Qatar are oil, gas, plastic, organic chemicals and iron.

The economy of Pakistan ranks 24th as the world's largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, and the 42nd place in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).

It is expected that Pakistan would be among the highest economies in the world by 2030.

With the emergence of huge projects, including the economic corridor between China and Pakistan and the port of Gwadar, Pakistani trade targets a future trade volume of $350bn in 2020.

It was also ranked amid the top 10 countries in the world in the field of business organization.


Related Story