Action Plan to boost ties with Kazakhstan

Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday signed an "Action Plan of Cooperation" aimed at giving fresh impetus to their bilateral relations, as the two countries prepared for the visit of the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Islamabad later this year.

The Action Plan, signed following delegation-level talks between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Kazakh counterpart, Murat Nurtleu, lays down a structured roadmap to expand engagement across multiple domains, read a statement issued here by the Foreign Office.

It envisages closer cooperation in politics, trade and economy, defence and security, science and technology, culture, tourism, humanitarian assistance, and consular facilitation. It also institutionalises regular consultations between the two foreign ministries.

Officials described the plan as a "significant milestone" reflecting the political will of both leaderships to elevate relations to "a new level of dynamism, anchored in mutual trust, shared values, and a forward-looking vision for regional peace and prosperity."

The Kazakh foreign minister, who also serves as his country's deputy prime minister, arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a two-day official visit. He was accompanied by ministers of transport and trade, vice ministers of IT and agriculture, as well as other senior officials.

During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on enhancing trade and investment flows, expanding agricultural cooperation, and advancing collaboration in information technology, education, culture, and tourism.

Strengthening regional connectivity through logistics and transport links also figured prominently in the discussions, according to the Foreign Office statement. The two delegations also exchanged views on multilateral cooperation and regional developments.

At the conclusion of the formal talks, the two deputy prime ministers instructed their respective teams to fast-track negotiations on agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) expected to be finalised in time for Kazakhstan president's upcoming visit.

The visit comes as a prelude to President Tokayev's trip to Pakistan in November, the first by a Kazakh head of state in more than two decades. The last such visit took place in 2003, when then president Nursultan Nazarbayev arrived here.

The Kazakh delegation's engagements in Islamabad went beyond the Foreign Office. Foreign Minister Nurtleu called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He also held separate meetings with Pakistan's ministers of communications, railways, and commerce.

According to an official hand out, Shehbaz told the Kazakh foreign minister that Pakistan was keen to enhance bilateral trade, investment, people-to-people exchanges and connectivity through air, rail and road with Kazakhstan. Shehbaz also conveyed his warm wishes for President Tokayev.

The prime minister indicated that Pakistan was attaching great importance to the visit of the Kazakh president and offered to send a delegation to Astana to finalise the various MoUs and agreements under consideration.

Nurtleu briefed the prime minister on his detailed discussions with Deputy Prime Minister Dar earlier in the day. He emphasised that the upcoming visit of President Tokayev to Islamabad would be historic and successful, and would open a new and exciting chapter in Pakistan-Kazakhstan ties.

Meanwhile, the Kazakh delegation also participated in the meetings of the Joint Working Groups on information technology (IT) and agriculture. The visiting team toured the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP) to explore avenues of cooperation in the IT sector.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurtleu also held a business meeting with leading Pakistani conglomerates, signalling Astana's interest in tapping opportunities in Pakistan's market and offering reciprocal access to Central Asia.

The visit and the signing of the Action Plan mark a renewed push by both countries to deepen ties at a time when Pakistan is seeking to expand its footprint in Central Asia under its "Vision Central Asia" policy. For Kazakhstan, the outreach offers a chance to build stronger connectivity to South Asia and beyond.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)