Pakistan-Qatar relations

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Qatar and Pakistan have close and prosperous historical relations based on mutual trust and respect. These wide-ranging and multifaceted relations cover various fields, and there is permanent co-ordination between them within the framework of international forums and meetings. Qatar and Pakistan are bound by common visions and goals regarding the principles of peace, security and stability in the world. Pakistan has supported the Qatari mediation efforts in Afghanistan, and the two countries have a common vision for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
Relations between the two countries have been strengthened through mutual visits at the highest levels, the most prominent of which was in recent years, the two visits of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Pakistan in March 2015 and June 2019, and three visits to Doha paid by the former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan: two in 2019 and a third in February 2020. Qatari-Pakistani relations have gone through three main stages: the first started with the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973 and until 1999, during which the two countries worked to explore possibilities and opportunities for co-operation between them in various fields.
The Qatari-Pakistani relations are regulated by a set of signed agreements and memorandums of understanding covering the political, economic, commercial, cultural, scientific, technical, educational, health, security, legal, educational, and media sectors, as well as areas of youth, sports, endowments, Islamic affairs, tourism, meteorology, mutual protection of investments, avoidance of double taxation, organising exhibitions, regulating the use of the workforce in Qatar, and a memorandum of understanding for co-operation in the field of exchanging financial investigations related to money laundering and related original crime as well as terrorist financing.
Within the framework of the good relations between the two brotherly countries, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif started an official visit to the country. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received the Pakistani prime minister to discuss bilateral relations and aspects of developing and strengthening them, in addition to several regional and international issues of common interest. It is expected that the visit and the discussions that will take place during it will contribute to supporting and enhancing bilateral relations and developing them in many fields and sectors to serve the common interests of the two countries and their brotherly peoples.
The Qatari-Pakistani relations are currently going through their best stages, since the last visit of His Highness the Amir to Islamabad in 2019, which is viewed as the culmination of an exceptional and distinguished stage during the bilateral relations. This visit gave bilateral relations a new impetus with the signing of several agreements to support and enhance the existing co-operation in all fields, especially economic, political, social, and military areas sectors. Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of Qatar’s initiative to educate 10mn out-of-school children around the world, as Qatar supported the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to launch a programme to educate 1mn out-of-school children in Pakistan, under an agreement signed in 2018. It is expected that Pakistan will become among the top 20 economies in the world by 2030 and with the emergence of huge projects, including the economic corridor between China and Pakistan and the port of Gwadar, Pakistani trade is targeting a future volume of $350bn.