Islamabad: Pakistan and Oman agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and labour mobility following the eighth session of their Joint Ministerial Commission on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.
Speaking alongside Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, Dar said joint working groups would provide regular engagement and help implement the commission’s decisions. Their areas of cooperation include trade and investment, agriculture, oil and gas, and labour and human resource development.
Dar said the two sides would sign the commission’s protocol and an agreement exempting holders of diplomatic, special, service and official passports from visa requirements. Other planned agreements cover news exchange, communications and information technology, historical documentation, records and archives management, and media cooperation.
Both countries encouraged closer business engagement and investment in special economic zones and free zones. They also reaffirmed cooperation in vocational training and labour mobility to expand opportunities for skilled Pakistani professionals and workers.
Regional security featured prominently in the discussions. Dar said both sides stressed restraint, dialogue and diplomacy in the Gulf, alongside safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al Mandeb, which are critical to food and energy supplies.
He condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying one Pakistani had been killed and five injured. Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
On Palestine, he expressed concern over illegal settlement expansion and attempts to alter the status of Al Quds Al Sharif, while calling for unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Dar also raised Kashmir, Afghanistan and the Indus Waters Treaty. He said Afghan territory must not be used against Pakistan and described India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance as a threat to Pakistan’s water, food and energy security.
The next commission session will take place in Oman.
