From Mutual Trust to Trade and Defence Cooperation

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, arrives in Islamabad today for the third session of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC). The timing is worth noticing. After the second session in 2021, both sides agreed in principle to hold the third in Islamabad in 2022. The meeting is therefore four years late. The visit comes after a year of warm and frequent exchanges and it offers both countries a chance to turn goodwill into lasting cooperation.

In November 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Manama, where King Hamad conferred the Order of Bahrain (First Class), the highest award given by Bahrain to heads of state and government. In January 2026, President Asif Ali Zardari held high-level talks with the king on trade, defence cooperation and regional developments. The Bahrain National Guard commander visited Pakistan in June, where he met the tri-services chiefs and spoke of further cooperation in training and capacity-building.

Bahrain’s support extends beyond diplomacy. The King Hamad University for Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences was established in Islamabad and inaugurated in September 2025. The prime minister also thanked the king for pardoning Pakistani prisoners, a gesture that many Pakistani families will remember. Pakistan, for its part, congratulated Bahrain on winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026-27 and offered close coordination.

This partnership rests on a solid institutional base. The two countries signed an agreement to establish the JMC in 2014. The first session took place in Islamabad on 5-6 February 2017, and the second was held in Manama on 28-29 July 2021. That second session produced practical commitments, including business-to-business contacts, a tourism and trade MoU, and expert meetings in agriculture, labour, oil and gas, and IT. An MoU between the Bahrain Development Board and Pakistan’s Board of Investment was also signed.

Leader-level contact has been steady. In 2021, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues, including Kashmir. The third session was originally planned for 2022 and is arriving later than expected. Its importance is greater for it, because there is now more to review and more to build on.

The strongest link between the two countries is the Pakistani community in Bahrain. Estimates differ by source and date. Pakistan’s ambassador estimated about 80,000 in January 2024, while the prime minister referred to over 150,000 in November 2025. Whatever the exact figure, these workers, professionals and business owners contribute to Bahrain’s economy and support their families at home.

That support matters nationally. Overseas Pakistanis sent a record $41.58 billion in 2025-26, up 8.6% from $38.3 billion the previous year. Saudi Arabia ($9.78 billion) and the UAE ($8.80 billion) led the list, and Gulf communities, including those in Bahrain, are an important part of this flow.

Bahrain is a small but wealthy economy. It has a population of about 1.57 million and a GDP of $47.8 billion in 2024. This makes it a niche market where quality matters more than volume. According to UN-based data, Pakistan exported $76.6 million to Bahrain in 2023, led by bovine meat, rice and corn, while Bahrain exported $81.9 million to Pakistan. These figures are small compared with the size of the relationship, and that is exactly the opportunity.

Both governments have set ambitious goals. The prime minister has spoken of raising trade from over $550 million to $1 billion within three years. The two sides should agree on a single published trade figure so that progress can be measured clearly. The planned Pakistan-GCC free trade agreement could also help, since leaders have said bilateral trade could grow significantly under it.

Security cooperation is the most distinctive part of the relationship. In 2025, both sides agreed to expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production and information sharing. In an uncertain regional environment, this trust is a real strength for both countries.

The third JMC can build on this strong base in four ways: agree on shared trade data, move the 2021 working groups forward with clear timelines, create structured training for Pakistani manpower in fields Bahrain needs, and give the Pakistan-GCC trade agreement a central place on the agenda.

Pakistan and Bahrain share faith, values and a long record of mutual support. With clear targets and steady follow-through, this visit can mark the start of a deeper and more productive partnership.