Pakistan and Qatar have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding economic ties and exploring high-value trade and investment opportunities across agriculture, information technology, electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, maritime transport, and infrastructure.
The understanding was reached during the second meeting of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force (JTF) on Trade and Investment in Doha, co-chaired by Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs Dr. Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed. The meeting evaluated progress achieved since the inaugural session in April 2026 and focused on concrete steps to deepen industrial partnerships.
Key Takeaways & High-Value Deals:
- GCC Free Trade Agreement: Pakistan urged Qatar’s continued support for the swift finalization of the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement. Pakistan confirmed it completed domestic approvals and submitted the official text to the GCC Secretariat on December 31, 2025.
- Meat & Agricultural Exports: The Pakistani delegation requested an early resolution to restrictions on bone-in meat exports to Qatar, confirming a comprehensive technical dossier on animal health and food safety had been submitted.
- Rice Supply MoU: A proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Trading Corporation of Pakistan and Qatar’s Hassad Food for long-term rice supply has been forwarded to the federal cabinet for final approval.
- Agri-Tech & Infrastructure Investments: Pakistan invited Qatari firms to invest in modern farming technologies, grain storage, silos, cold-chain logistics, and the proposed Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway.
- EVs and Digital Infrastructure: Investment opportunities were pitched in the automotive sector—specifically electric vehicles (EVs) under Pakistan’s new policy framework—as well as IT infrastructure, shipping, and digital technology.
- Aviation & Logistics: Qatar emphasized expanding cooperation in civil aviation and air traffic, a initiative welcomed by Pakistan to be processed via the Technical Working Group on Logistics and Communications.
Strategic Investment Fund & Technical Working Groups
To translate top-level diplomatic talks into executable projects, Pakistan presented the concept of a dedicated Investment Fund designed to attract Qatari capital into priority sectors such as infrastructure, mining, technology, and health.
Furthermore, Pakistan called for the immediate operationalization of 11 Technical Working Groups formed during the first JTF meeting. These specialized groups cover key economic pillars, including:
Logistics, Aviation, Advanced Manufacturing, Mining & Minerals, Agriculture, Tourism, FinTech, Healthcare, Education, IT, and Startups.
Coordinated from Islamabad by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), both nations pledged sustained engagement to accelerate cross-border trade and institutional investments.
