Pakistan Seeks Early Signing of GCC Free Trade Agreement in Qatar Talks

Pakistan has urged Qatar to support the early signing of the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and sought greater market access for its exports during the second meeting of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force on Trade and Investment in Doha.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Dr Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, co-chaired the meeting on October 24 to review progress on bilateral economic cooperation and explore opportunities to expand trade and investment, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday.

Pakistan informed the meeting that it had completed its domestic approval process for the GCC FTA and forwarded the approved agreement text to the GCC Secretariat on December 31, 2025. It sought Qatar’s support in completing the remaining formalities.

The Pakistani side also called for an early resolution of restrictions on bone-in meat exports to Qatar, saying it had shared a technical dossier addressing animal health and food safety requirements with the relevant Qatari authorities.

Both sides discussed cooperation in agriculture, food security, manufacturing, information technology, maritime transport and infrastructure.

Pakistan highlighted a proposed agreement between the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Qatar’s Hassad Food for the supply of Pakistani rice under a government-to-government arrangement. The proposal has been submitted to the federal cabinet for approval.

Pakistan also invited Qatari investment in modern agriculture, grain storage, silos, cold-storage facilities, cold-chain infrastructure and advanced farming technologies.

In the industrial sector, Pakistan presented investment opportunities in new energy vehicles and electric vehicles, including joint manufacturing, technology transfer and industrial partnerships. It also highlighted opportunities in information technology, digital infrastructure and digital services.

The Pakistani delegation identified potential cooperation in maritime transport, including oil tankers, liquefied natural gas carriers and container vessels, to support energy security and international trade.

Pakistan also presented the proposed Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway as an investment opportunity, highlighting its potential to improve connectivity between seaports and the national road network and facilitate transit trade with Central Asian countries.

The meeting also discussed a proposed investment fund to attract Qatari participation in infrastructure, agriculture, industrial development, IT and other priority sectors.

Pakistan called for the early operationalisation of 11 technical working groups agreed upon at the first JTF meeting. The groups cover logistics, aviation, advanced manufacturing, mining and minerals, agriculture, tourism, financial technology, healthcare, education, IT and startups.

Pakistan said it had shared the composition of the groups and requested Qatar to nominate its representatives so they could begin identifying trade and investment opportunities and prepare recommendations ahead of the third JTF meeting, which Pakistan will host.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Jam Kamal Khan and Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed signed the minutes of the first meeting of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force on Trade and Investment.

Separately, Jam Kamal met Nan Li Collins, head of the World Investment Forum, in Doha. They discussed regional economic integration, connectivity and cooperation amid emerging global economic challenges, according to the Ministry of Commerce.