News Desk
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Pakistan, marking the first visit by a Maldivian head of state in 11 years.
Invited by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Muizzu’s trip coincides with the diamond jubilee of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which established relations in 1966.
The Maldivian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam and comprising cabinet ministers and senior officials, arrived in the Pakistani capital earlier on Tuesday. They were received at the airport by the Foreign Office spokesperson, the Director General for South Asia and SAARC, the Maldivian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and the Pakistani High Commissioner to the Maldives.
According to statements from the Foreign Office, President Muizzu is scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, who will host a state banquet in his honour. He will also hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Sharif.
Discussions are set to cover bilateral cooperation across trade, investment, health, education, tourism, agriculture, defence, maritime security, climate change, and people-to-people exchanges, alongside regional and international developments. A Pakistan-Maldives Business Forum will also take place during the visit to boost commercial links between the two business communities, with several bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding expected to be signed.
The last official visit to Pakistan by a Maldivian president took place in May 2015, when then-president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom undertook a two-day state visit at the invitation of then-premier Nawaz Sharif.
