Current Bilateral Trade Only $16 Million PM Shehbaz Proposes Binding Agreement Instead Of MoU President Zhaparov Agrees On Spot 17 Bilateral Documents Signed During Three-Day Visit CASA-1000 Reaffirmed Lahore-Osh Sister Cities Defence Security Cooperation Strengthened Kyrgyzstan Views Pakistan Seaports As Gateway To Global Markets
According to Dawn, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a binding agreement to raise bilateral trade from its current $16 million to $200 million within two years, a target PM Shehbaz Sharif personally elevated from a memorandum of understanding to a formal accord at Bishkek’s Manas International Airport before departing at the conclusion of a three-day visit.
PM Shehbaz told reporters he had proposed converting the MoU into a binding agreement as a more concrete step, put the idea to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov on the spot, and the president agreed. The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to the timely implementation of the CASA-1000 electricity project, a 1,300MW power transmission line from Central Asia to South Asia and agreed to establish a new joint working group on electricity, hydropower, renewable energy and modern technologies.
A total of 17 bilateral documents were signed during the visit, according to FM Ishaq Dar, covering transit trade, science and technology, extradition, mutual legal assistance, narcotic drug trafficking, medical education, academic research, postal services and e-commerce, defence, environment and technology cooperation. Lahore and Osh were declared sister cities.
President Zhaparov highlighted Pakistan’s seaports as Kyrgyzstan’s natural route to South Asian markets and global trade routes — positioning the relationship as a two-way corridor for landlocked Kyrgyzstan. He also indicated readiness for joint projects in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, energy, tourism, digital economy and virtual assets.
The agreement lifted in a single afternoon what had not moved in years. Check out our previous coverage of Pakistan’s foreign policy on The Trusted Times.
