Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that Pakistan will share a list of 250 business houses with Egypt to enhance bilateral commercial engagement. He was speaking to the media alongside Egyptian PM Badr Abdelatty, who arrived in Islamabad last night for a two-day official visit. During his visit, Abdelatty would discuss a wide agenda \u2014 from consultations on conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, and the dispute over the Iranian nuclear programme, to ways of boosting economic cooperation. Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad, Dar said he and Abdelatty had a \u201cvery, very focused discussion\u201d today on how their nations could contribute to elevating the business-to-business upscaling of the bilateral activities, which the deputy PM termed as \u201csurely not commensurate\u201d, with around $300 million. \u201cWith the depth and the affection the two countries have, [\u2026] Pakistan will share with Egypt a comprehensive list of 250 Pakistani business houses representing key sectors of the economy,\u201d Dar announced. \u201cThese businesses will be facilitated and supported to enhance bilateral commercial engagement,\u201d the deputy premier highlighted. The deputy PM detailed that the business houses will be chosen from \u201cacross the board\u201d and through due consultation. The list of businesses \u201crepresenting each sector of the economy\u201d will be initially prepared by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) in collaboration with the other chambers of commerce. Dar asserted there would be a \u201cvery transparent selection of those who really deserve and are willing to work and cooperate, and enhance the business\u201d. The businesses, after \u201cdue diligence in Egypt\u201d, would be declared as the \u201cwhite list\u201d, Dar said. Noting that the foreign ministry was receiving complaints of waiting too long to obtain a business visa \u201cvery frequently\u201d, the minister said those concerns will \u201ccease at least to the extent of these top 250\u201d businesses. Dar further said that in the three-month period after three months have passed since the first list, Islamabad would select another 250 businesses to take the original list to 500. He added that the Egyptian FM had also agreed to \u201cprocess the list and that would again be added to the existing white list at that time from 250 to 500\u201d. The deputy PM went on to announce that a Pakistan-Egypt Business Council will be established after that to institutionalise private sector cooperation and to promote mutually beneficial commercial partnership and B2B business promotion between Pakistan and Egypt. \u201cOnce these two steps are done, Pakistan and Egyptian Business Forum will also be established,\u201d Dar stated, adding that it would be co-chaired by the two foreign ministers. Its first meeting would be convened in Cairo in the second quarter of 2026, to advance trade, investment and economic collaboration. Dar also acknowledged with \u201clittle embarrassment\u201d that the Pakistan-Egypt Joint Ministerial Commission had not met since 2010, and neither had the two countries held bilateral political consultations. Therefore, it was decided that the political consultations would be held in the first quarter of 2026, with Egypt nominating an assistant minister to head its delegation, while the Pakistani team would be led by the foreign secretary. \u201cThey will do the entire preparatory work and agenda for the Joint Ministerial Commission meeting, which has not taken place in 15 years, to be held in the second quarter of 2026,\u201d Dar explained. \u201cDiscussions today reaffirm the strength of Pakistan-Egypt relations, and our shared commitment to further enhance bilateral cooperation across political, economic, defence, cultural and people-to-people domains,\u201d Dar said. \u201cWe agreed to work towards a more structured framework of cooperation and to explore new avenues of partnership,\u201d the deputy premier noted, adding he was confident that the visit would \u201copen new avenues of practical cooperation\u201d between the two countries. Dar noted that the two leaders also assessed the regional developments, with \u201cparticular focus on the grave situation in Gaza\u201d. \u201cPakistan appreciates Egypt\u2019s vital role in humanitarian support, mediation efforts and diplomatic engagement to uphold the ceasefire and safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people.\u201d \u201cPakistan values Egypt as a key partner in the Muslim world and looks forward to continued engagement at all levels,\u201d Dar affirmed. The two ministers also discussed India-occupied Kashmir, Afghanistan and cooperation at multilateral fora. Dar noted Abdelatty\u2019s visit reflected the \u201clongstanding friendship\u201d between the brotherly countries of Pakistan and Egypt. The foreign minister said his Egyptian counterpart also announced the doubling of scholarships this year for Pakistani scholars who wish to study in Al Azhar University. \u201cWhile staying in the religious domain, Al Azhar University [offers] courses on how to eliminate terrorism,\u201d Dar pointed out, adding that scholars would learn how to tackle the menace as per religious teachings. The deputy premier went on to mention that he and Abdelatty met frequently on the sidelines of various global moots this year: \u201cThis year, we have met at least half a dozen times if I\u2019m not wrong.\u201d Sky\u2019s the limit for our cooperation: Egypt FM In his remarks, FM Abdelatty termed Pakistan his \u201csecond home country\u201d and conveyed Egypt\u2019s condolences over the \u201ctragic loss of lives and injuries\u201d in the recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and Peshawar. \u201cWe stand in full solidarity with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism,\u201d the Egyptian top diplomat affirmed. \u201cI would also like to convey our deep appreciation of our very cordial relation with Pakistan,\u201d he said, acknowledging \u201ccommon challenges\u201d on the economic, political and security levels. \u201cThat, of course, encourages us to work together and to cooperate in terms of exchange of best practices and expertise to help each other, and to confirm that stability and peace and development are the main pillars of our strategic partnership,\u201d Abdelatty said. \u201cWe would like to elevate our relationship to the strategic level,\u201d the minister added. Noting that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had instructed him to further enhance bilateral cooperation with Islamabad, Abdelatty said, \u201cSky\u2019s the limit for our cooperation.\u201d He expressed Egypt\u2019s willingness to \u201creinvigorate the existing institutional mechanism of dialogue and cooperation\u201d between Pakistan and Egypt, especially the JMC. \u201cSo it\u2019s timely now to convene the upcoming joint committee meeting. We would also like to agree on a roadmap for our cooperation, which will cover all areas of cooperation \u2014 political, economic, investment, trade, security, religious and cultural dimensions.\u201d Dar said Abdelatty\u2019s visit \u201creflects our shared commitment to deepening bilateral ties across economic, defence and cultural domains\u201d. \u201cPakistan holds its relations with Egypt in very high regard and we view this visit as an important opportunity to advance our common objective,\u201d the deputy premier highlighted. \u201cI appreciate the positive momentum in our recent engagements at different levels, including our interactions on the margins of regional and multilateral fora around the globe,\u201d he added. \u201cEgyptian and Pakistani brotherhood is broadly known all over the world,\u201d he said, adding that both he and Abdelatty had a great responsibility to take their countries\u2019 diplomatic, economic, trade, business, security, and defence relations to a \u201cmuch higher level\u201d. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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