UAE's Deputy PM on two-day Pakistan visit

Islamabad, April 21 (IANS) UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived in Islamabad for a two-day visit to discuss and further various aspects and prospects in terms of trade and investment.

The high-level visit holds pivotal value for Pakistan as it looks forward to making foreign investments and offering cooperation to other countries.

UAE's Deputy PM will be holding meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, who also received him at the airport on Sunday.

Sheikh Abdullah will also hold a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan's Foreign Office stated that the meetings will focus on trade, investment, energy cooperation, regional security, and people-to-people linkages and will look towards avenues to increase the spectrum of bilateral relations.

"The high-level visit reflects the deep-rooted, fraternal relations between Pakistan and the UAE and underscores the two countries' shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest," read a statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office.

"The visit will further cement the longstanding Pakistan-UAE ties and contribute to deepening bilateral engagements in diverse fields, benefiting the peoples of both countries," the statement added.

Notably, the visit comes at a time when Shehbaz Sharif has called on regional and global partners to invest in Pakistan, offering cooperation in various fields, including banking, railways, mining, agriculture, mineral exploration and infrastructural investment.

UAE holds an important place for Pakistan since a majority of the country's remittances come from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, as a large number of Pakistanis are living and working in the Gulf countries.

Pakistan recorded $4.1 billion in remittances in March 2025, an all-time high monthly inflow on record. Shehbaz Sharif praised overseas Pakistanis for sending billions back to the country through banking channels, stating that this is a significant indication of the country's movement towards recovery.

Pakistan's central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), expects to receive at least $38 billion in remittances this year.

--IANS

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