On 5 February 2026, summit talks took place in Islamabad between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif.
The first day of the Uzbek leader’s two-day visit (5–6 February) was marked by negotiations in a narrow format, the inaugural session of the Supreme-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, and the signing of a substantial package of documents aimed at deepening multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
Notably, the visit is taking place in the year marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Uzbekistan–Pakistan strategic partnership relations.
The economic dimension of the talks proved to be one of the most substantial.
According to 2025 results, bilateral trade volume approached US $500 million. Approximately 230 enterprises with Pakistani capital are operating in Uzbekistan, the number of flights between the two countries is increasing, interbank correspondent relations are strengthening, and successful cooperation is developing in the textile, pharmaceutical, chemical industries, agriculture, and other sectors. As part of the visit, an exhibition of Uzbekistan’s industrial products was held.
The parties established a new target to elevate mutual trade turnover to $2 billion in the near term. To reach this milestone, they agreed to broaden the scope of the Preferential Trade Agreement, update phytosanitary protocols for Uzbek exports—specifically for apples, figs, lemons, and chili peppers—and maximize the throughput of Uzbekistan’s trade houses in Lahore and Karachi.
A project portfolio worth nearly $3.5 billion has been prepared in agriculture, electrical engineering, geology, pharmaceuticals, light industry, and food processing.
Strengthening regional interconnectivity and expanding trade flows will be facilitated by enhanced transport and logistics cooperation. The leaders emphasized the need to accelerate the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway and to advance the Pakistan–China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan transport corridor.
Following the session of the Strategic Cooperation Council, a Joint Declaration and around 30 documents were signed. Among the key ones:
- Program of cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs for 2026–2028;
- Agreement on the establishment of the Uzbekistan–Pakistan Business Council;
- Agreement on the creation of an Interregional Forum;
- Protocol on a new list of goods under the Preferential Trade Agreement;
- Agreements on cooperation in port services, mining and geology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textile and garment industries, culture, sports, ecology, anti-corruption efforts, and combating drug trafficking;
- Memorandum of Understanding between Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies aimed at developing cooperation in digital infrastructure, innovation, and technology exchange;
- Memorandum of Understanding on simplifying trade procedures and maritime cooperation, focused on developing sea trade and preferential port arrangements in the ports of Karachi, Gwadar, and Qasim;
- Agreement on the preservation of the heritage of the Baburid dynasty;
- Protocol on phytosanitary requirements;
- Roadmap between the Ministries of Defense (in the defense sector, Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif and his Uzbek counterpart Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov signed a plan of action for defense cooperation);
- Agreements strengthening municipal and business ties, including twinning relations between the city administrations of Peshawar and Termez, and Islamabad and Samarkand.
It was also decided to hold the first Forum of Regions in Uzbekistan in 2026 to deepen interregional ties. The first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the foreign ministries is planned to take place in Tashkent.
During the talks, views were exchanged on current international and regional issues, and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation within multilateral structures.
In conclusion, Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited Shehbaz Sharif to pay a return visit to Uzbekistan. The leaders addressed the media, highlighting the historical closeness of their peoples, shared values, and their aspiration for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia.
President of Uzbekistan separately expressed gratitude to the Pakistani side for conferring upon him the titles of Honorary Doctor and Honorary Professor of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) of Pakistan.
The visit also placed significant focus on military-technical cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. President Mirziyoyev met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Commander of the Army, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at the headquarters of Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) — Pakistan’s leading state-owned defense conglomerate and the country’s largest producer of defense products.
The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres, including collaboration between defense-industrial complexes, training of military personnel, exchange of experience, and joint activities.
An agreement was reached to prepare a separate roadmap for the development of military and military-technical cooperation. President Mirziyoyev was presented with modern samples of Pakistani military equipment and armaments. ///nCa, 6 February 2026