Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif departed on Monday for a three day official visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzistan, to participate in this year's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and hold talks with top regional leaders.
According to the PM's office, the premier will address the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, presenting Pakistan’s position on regional and international issues. Pakistan is also set to assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026–2027 during the event. Furthermore, the PM will attend the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games as a special guest.
A high level delegation is accompanying the PM, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
On the sidelines of the summit, the PM is scheduled to conduct bilateral engagements with participating world leaders. On the final day of his visit, he will hold bilateral discussions with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov to review the full spectrum of Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan relations. The talks will focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy, regional connectivity, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
The visit comes amidst increased diplomatic engagements between the two nations. In July, President Asif Ali Zardari undertook a four day official visit to Kyrgyzstan, marking the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to the central Asian country in 21 years. President Zhaparov previously visited Pakistan in December 2025, when both nations agreed to boost bilateral trade to USD 200 million by 2027–2028.
During that visit, Islamabad and Bishkek signed multiple agreements spanning commerce, energy, mining, agriculture, healthcare, and customs cooperation. Both countries also reaffirmed their commitment to the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, the operationalisation of the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) road corridor, and the utilisation of Pakistani ports to enhance Central to South Asian connectivity.
