News Desk
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Pakistan from October 20 to 22, marking the first time a Maldivian head of state has visited the country in over a decade.
During the three-day trip, President Muizzu will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the two sides are expected to sign a dozen bilateral agreements covering various sectors to solidify diplomatic and economic ties.
Discussions between Male’ and Islamabad will also focus on regional developments, with the potential revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) set to feature on the agenda. SAARC summits have remained stalled since 2016, but President Muizzu has previously stated the Maldives’ willingness to facilitate talks to reactivate the regional grouping.
The upcoming visit follows recent high-level diplomatic engagements between the two countries, including a telephonic discussion last week between Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, as well as a legislative delegation visit to Pakistan led by Speaker of the People’s Majlis Abdul Raheem Abdulla last month.
This trip marks the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan since May 2015, when former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom traveled to Islamabad.
