News Desk
ISLAMABAD — President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was received with full state honors in Pakistan, marking the start of an official visit designed to deepen bilateral relations and reset diplomatic momentum between the two South Asian nations.
President Muizzu was formally welcomed at the residence of Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, where he was accorded a military Guard of Honour. President Muizzu was accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, alongside a delegation of cabinet ministers and senior government representatives.
The three-day state visit, undertaken at the personal invitation of Prime Minister Sharif, carries significant diplomatic weight. It represents the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in a decade, coming at a crucial moment for regional diplomacy.
The high-level visit aligns with the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between the Maldives and Pakistan, established on 26 July 1966. Over six decades, ties between the two nations have quietly spanned trade, defense, higher education, and technical cooperation, though executive-level exchanges have been sparse in recent years.
During his stay in Islamabad, President Muizzu is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Sharif and meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who will host a state banquet in his honor.
The visit is expected to yield a series of bilateral frameworks. Both leaders are set to oversee the signing of key memoranda of understanding and bilateral agreements intended to expand cooperation across trade, defense, climate change, and regional connectivity.
