Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Kyrgyzstan complete, commitment to lasting peace in the region
(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
Pakistan is currently emerging on the global stage with a dynamic, comprehensive, and far-reaching foreign policy, as evidenced by the rapid diplomatic successes in recent days. Due to the sincere efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the country’s traditional narrative has changed from geopolitics (regional politics) to geo-economics (regional economy and connections). Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Bishkek during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus Summit is clear proof of this new commitment, where Pakistan not only signed several historic trade, industry, and investment agreements with Kyrgyzstan, but also assumed the regular presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Pakistan will host the historic meeting of the ‘SCO Council of Heads of State’ next year, and this presidency is being carried forward under the revolutionary theme of “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”. The aim of this dynamic diplomacy of Pakistan is to activate the infrastructure of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Gwadar Port as a nearby trade route for Central Asian states. The second major pillar of this dynamic diplomacy of Pakistan is unity and defense self-reliance among the Muslim Ummah, which is reflected in the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the ‘Makkah Mutual Defense Treaty’ to be held in Istanbul on August 31, 2026. Under this trilateral defense alliance of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, a permanent secretariat is being established in Saudi Arabia, which will be headed by a Secretary General from Pakistan for the initial three years, which is a reflection of the strong confidence of the brotherly countries in Pakistan’s military and diplomatic leadership. At the same time, Pakistan’s mediation role has been key to ending the ongoing US-Iran tensions in the Middle East and restoring the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Last week, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (Chief of Army Staff/Chief The visit of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to Iran and the sincere efforts to bridge the gap between Tehran and Washington are proof that Islamabad is the most reliable mediator to break any military stalemate in the region, and this is evidenced by the mobilization of high-level diplomatic delegations from Oman and Qatar immediately after the visit to Tehran. Pakistan’s legal diplomacy has also achieved a major victory in the field of upholding international law and protecting its geographical and water rights from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. The court has categorically rejected India’s unilateral attempt to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and affirmed that the treaty remains in force, which has fully vindicated Pakistan’s principled and legal position at the international level. Pakistan has always been of the firm position that any unilateral approach in the management of transboundary water in a sensitive region like South Asia is detrimental to peace and stability, and India must abide by international law at all times. Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to raise the unilateral and unjust cases of Indian courts against the Hurriyat leadership of occupied Kashmir, especially Yasin Malik, in international and multilateral forums regularly. The successful foreign policy based on all these lines proves that the Islamabad Talks, the Mecca Agreement, and the SCO presidency are clear evidence of Pakistan’s growing diplomatic credibility and peace-loving attitude at the global level, which is now being openly acknowledged by even the world’s most senior diplomats.Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, during his farewell weekly press briefing, presented Pakistan’s detailed and unequivocal position on regional security, the US-Iran conflict, Indian intransigence on the Indus Water Treaty and political revenge against the leadership of occupied Kashmir, while on this occasion he also formally introduced the newly appointed Spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan. The Foreign Office Spokesperson said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is currently in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) where he is holding detailed talks with President Sadyr Jabbarov on all aspects of bilateral relations and several important agreements have been signed in the fields of trade, economy, industry and investment, while Pakistan has formally assumed the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), under which Pakistan will host the ‘SCO Council of Heads of State’ meeting next year under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”. He said that the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the ‘Makkah Mutual Defense Agreement’ signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on August 31, 2026, was held in Istanbul, where it has been decided to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia to build cooperation permanently, which will be led by a Secretary General from Pakistan for the initial three years, and these three countries will deepen the development and production of defense industry, joint technology. Speaking on the recent armed attacks and counter-attacks between the US and Iran, Tahir Hussain Andrabi clarified that there is no question of declaring the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding dead or ineffective because the peace framework is still fully in place and Pakistan is hopeful that the parties will eventually return to negotiations, therefore the current tension cannot be termed as a failure of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts because Pakistan is engaged in the peace process with full sincerity for a peaceful resolution of this dispute. He said that the visit of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (Chief of Army Staff/Chief of Defense Forces) to Iran last week was a link in the same diplomatic chain to end the US-Iran dispute and accelerate efforts to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the CDF’s visit to Tehran on August 25 gave a great impetus to this process which was soon followed by high-level delegations from Oman and Qatar. Talking about the Indus Waters Treaty, the spokesperson said that on September 1, 2026, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) established in The Hague confirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is fully operational and binding on the parties, and the court has completely rejected India’s unilateral attempt to suspend the treaty. Therefore, India’s rejection of the arbitration court’s decision cannot terminate its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty, and India will have to abide by international law at all costs, as India’s conduct is in line with the principles of adherence to treaties and resolution of international disputes. It undermines trust in the established system, and unilateral behavior in transboundary water management in a sensitive region like South Asia is detrimental to peace and stability; therefore, Pakistan demands that India immediately return to the implementation of the agreement. The Foreign Office Spokesperson completely rejected the unilateral cases and conviction of the Indian courts against Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik and said that the case against Yasin Malik was against the basic requirements of justice and Pakistan will continue to raise Yasin Malik’s case at international and multilateral forums and urges the international community to take notice of it, while Pakistan prays for the health and long life of Yasin Malik and the late leader of the Kashmir Freedom Movement Syed Ali Gilani is always in our prayers. At the end of the press briefing, Tahir Hussain Andrabi introduced Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan, who will now assume the responsibilities of the Foreign Office Spokesperson, and thanked all diplomatic journalists and media representatives for their cooperation during his tenure. A grand ceremony and farewell luncheon were organized by the Office of the Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Pakistan, hosted by Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi.
The ceremony was held immediately after the weekly news briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad, with the main objective of formally introducing the newly appointed Foreign Office Spokesperson, His Excellency Ambassador Sajjad Haider. The high-level event was attended by the core leadership of the Diplomatic Correspondents Forum Pakistan (DCFP), including Founding President Asghar Ali Mubarak, Secretary Pervez Mughal, Syed Mujtaba Rizwan, Naseem Al-Ghani, Nayyar Ali, Abdul Razak Bhatti, Baqir Sajjad Syed and other senior diplomatic journalists.
During the session held after the briefing, the forum officials presented a bouquet to the new spokesperson, Ambassador Sajjad Haider, and expressed their best wishes to him. Addressing the ceremony, DCFP Founding President Asghar Ali Mubarak paid glowing tribute to the services of Pakistan’s veteran diplomatic corps. He said, “Behind Pakistan’s remarkable diplomatic achievements at the global level lies the expertise and hard work of the experienced and tireless officers of the Foreign Office.” Asghar Ali Mubarak emphasized that Pakistan’s foreign policy during the past year has made historic efforts for global peace and regional stability. He reminded that important milestones like the Islamabad Talks, the Mecca Agreement, and Pakistan’s active leadership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit are a testament to the country’s most successful diplomacy. He assured the new spokesperson, Ambassador Sajjad Haider, of the full and continuous support of the media to safeguard national interests and highlight Pakistan’s positive image globally.
Outgoing spokesperson Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi, in his farewell address, appreciated the professional role and responsible journalism of Pakistani diplomatic correspondents.
Referring to a recent international event in the US, Ambassador Tahir Andrabi said that senior diplomats around the world have openly acknowledged Pakistan’s peace efforts. He said that according to international observers, “the practical and key steps that Pakistan has taken for the establishment of global peace and stability in the region have sometimes been insufficient to single out even the United Nations (UN).” At the end of the ceremony, both Foreign Office Spokespersons (Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi and Ambassador Sajjad Haider) posed for a commemorative group photo with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ beat reporters, senior diplomatic journalists and TV anchors to preserve this important institutional transition forever. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Kyrgyzstan has been completed, at the end of which Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that during the visit, very positive meetings were held with the Kyrgyz leadership and there was complete consensus on promoting bilateral trade. He said that I had proposed to increase mutual trade from the current limited volume of sixteen million dollars, to which the Kyrgyz President fully agreed, and now the two countries have signed a historic agreement to take bilateral trade to two hundred million, that is, twenty million dollars, for which I am deeply grateful to the leadership of Kyrgyzstan. At the end of the visit, a comprehensive joint declaration was also issued by Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan in which it was agreed to prepare a systematic and comprehensive plan to increase the bilateral trade volume to twenty million dollars. According to the declaration, the two countries have expressed their determination to launch joint projects in the sectors of trade, investment, industry, energy, mining, agriculture, food, textiles and pharmaceuticals. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Innovative Sector of Virtual Assets as well as a significant agreement on Transit Trade have also been signed, under which trade and shipping opportunities for Kyrgyzstan will be increased through Pakistani ports. The joint declaration also confirmed the signing of several agreements in the fields of science, technology, education and medical education, in addition to promoting cooperation in the fields of electricity, hydropower, renewable energy and energy infrastructure. Regarding legal and security matters, the two countries have signed agreements on the exchange of prisoners and mutual legal assistance in criminal cases, while it has also been agreed to further strengthen relations and links between relevant institutions in the defense sector. In addition, an agreement to establish sister city relations between the cities of Lahore and Osh has also been implemented. While discussing global and regional issues, the declaration stressed the peaceful resolution of global disputes and the avoidance of any unilateral actions. Pakistan also reiterated its full support for Kyrgyzstan’s global environmental and mountain development agenda. The visit is expected to usher in a new and stronger chapter in Pakistan’s economic and diplomatic relations with the Central Asian states, which will directly benefit ordinary citizens and the business community.
