Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has invited Bahrain to explore investment opportunities across key sectors including information technology, food security, and tourism, as both countries moved to deepen cooperation in digital technologies and telecommunications. The invitation was extended during a meeting with Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, held on the sidelines of Geneva Digital Week and AI Week 2026.
During the meeting, the minister showcased Pakistan’s investment potential and highlighted the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council in streamlining investment processes and providing support to foreign investors seeking business opportunities in the country. The council, established to fast track investment across priority sectors, has increasingly served as a reference point in Pakistan’s engagements with foreign delegations, reflecting the government’s continued effort to present a centralised, simplified process for international investors evaluating opportunities in the country.
The discussions between the two ministers focused on expanding collaboration in information technology and telecommunications, with both sides expressing interest in strengthening partnerships through knowledge sharing, innovation, and digital connectivity. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment from both countries to broaden bilateral cooperation and foster closer relations through joint initiatives in the technology and telecommunications sectors, building on the existing diplomatic and economic relationship between Pakistan and Bahrain.
The engagement with Bahrain comes shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate talks with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, during which the prime minister proposed raising bilateral trade between the two countries from just over 550 million dollars to 1 billion dollars within three years. Those discussions centred on using the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement and relaxed visa procedures to accelerate investment flows, with the prime minister inviting Bahraini investment across food security, information technology, minerals, ports, and energy sectors. Bahrain, which established diplomatic ties with Pakistan in 1971, hosts more than 120,000 Pakistani workers and remains an important source of remittances for the country, underscoring the depth of the existing relationship between the two nations beyond the technology sector alone.
The minister’s meeting in Geneva forms part of a broader pattern of engagement Pakistan’s information technology ministry has pursued with international partners in recent months, including similar discussions held with Qatar on expanding financing, incubation, and investment opportunities for Pakistani technology startups, as well as ongoing collaboration with Saudi Arabia on digital connectivity and submarine cable infrastructure. Officials have consistently framed these engagements as part of Pakistan’s wider strategy to position its information technology sector for growth on the international stage, with the country’s IT exports continuing to expand as the government works to attract foreign investment and build stronger institutional ties across the Gulf region and beyond.
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