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Kazakh President Tokayev Arrives in Islamabad on Two-Day Official Visit
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit as Pakistan and Kazakhstan seek to expand cooperation in trade, connectivity and regional partnership.
ND
by News Desk
2026-02-03
Kazakh President Tokayev Arrives in Islamabad on Two-Day Official Visit

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, as Pakistan and Kazakhstan move to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation across multiple sectors.

 

The two countries enjoy cordial diplomatic ties, with Kazakhstan currently Pakistan’s largest export destination among Central Asian states. President Tokayev was received at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Air Base by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

 

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, a 21-gun salute was presented in honour of the visiting dignitary. President Tokayev is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet members and other top officials. Visuals shared by his office showed major streets in Islamabad decorated with Kazakhstan’s national flags.

 

In a handout issued earlier in the day, the President’s Secretariat said President Zardari will confer the **Nishan-i-Pakistan**, the country’s highest civilian award, on President Tokayev. The award will also be conferred on the president of Uzbekistan, who is expected to visit Pakistan later this month.

 

According to the Foreign Office (FO), President Tokayev is scheduled to hold meetings with President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit. He is also expected to address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum, bringing together business leaders and stakeholders from both sides.

 

The FO stated that the visit provides Islamabad and Astana with “an important and timely opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review” of bilateral relations. Discussions are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, as well as exploring collaboration at regional and international forums.

 

The visit is being viewed as mutually beneficial for both countries. For Pakistan, deeper engagement with Kazakhstan supports Islamabad’s ambition to position itself as a land bridge between Central and South Asia and beyond. For Kazakhstan, enhanced ties with Pakistan offer opportunities to diversify international trade routes amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence in Eurasia following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

 

Ahead of the presidential visit, Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek was already in Pakistan. On Monday, eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between higher education institutions of the two countries to promote joint research initiatives, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative academic programmes and capacity-building efforts.

 

As part of the academic cooperation, Kazakhstan education centres were inaugurated at three public-sector universities in Islamabad.

 

Earlier, during the visit of then Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Murat Nurtleu to Pakistan in September, both sides signed an Action Plan of Cooperation aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and institutional collaboration.

 

 
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