Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged Bahraini businesses to capitalise on Pakistan’s expanding investment landscape, highlighting the government’s structural transformation and far-reaching regulatory and economic reforms aimed at driving private-sector-led growth.

“Pakistan is undergoing a structural transformation embodying economic reforms, digital modernisation and a decisive push for a private sector-led growth. We have cut red tape forever, strengthened our regulations and opened new sectors such as agribusiness, IT, minerals, energy and tourism for long-term partnership,” the prime minister said while addressing members of the business community in Manama during his two-day official visit.

The event was attended by Bahrain’s deputy prime minister, ministers for foreign affairs, finance and national economy, industries and commerce, besides the prime minister’s own delegation members, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and others.

Shehbaz said Pakistan offered talent, resources and a growing consumer market with immense potential, which could be complemented by Bahrain’s financial expertise and business strength.

He expressed Pakistan’s readiness to deepen cooperation with Bahrain in agriculture, IT, artificial intelligence, fintech and other emerging sectors.

The prime minister said the Free Trade Agreement between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was expected to be signed soon, which would further strengthen bilateral trade.

“I address you not just as the Prime Minister of Pakistan but as the CEO of a nation eager to partner with Bahraini entrepreneurs ready to support joint ventures, facilitate your investment plans and assist in the mutually-rewarding journey ahead of us… Whether you are a Bahraini investor exploring Pakistan or a Pakistani entrepreneur contributing to Bahrain’s great progress, let this moment be your launching pad for a bold and meaningful collaboration.”

Expressing gratitude to Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa for their hospitality, Shehbaz said the relationship between the two countries was based on cultural, religious, mutual respect and trust, with both having strategic cooperation for decades.

He emphasised the need to translate these deep-rooted relations into robust economic cooperation.

“Now we have to convert these wonderful relations into economic cooperation,” he said, and vowed to convert Pakistan’s challenge of youth bulge into a great opportunity by training them in IT, AI, vocational training, and skill training.

The prime minister appreciated the contribution of the more than 100,000-strong Pakistani community in Bahrain to the host country as well as their own homeland by sending remittances worth $484 million last year.

“Let me assure you that Pakistan’s doors and my own door will always remain open to all of you,” the prime minister and appreciated Bahrain’s visionary leadership, making the country emerge as a “beacon” of economic growth, financial innovation and human-centred development, also serving as inspiration for Pakistan.
Earlier, Bahrain’s Finance Minister Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, said that the generations of Pakistanis had played a vital role in Bahrain’s growth, with many having made the kingdom their second home.

He said that Pakistan’s financial institutions had been important contributors to Bahrain’s financial sector for over half a century.

The minister said that Bahrain was undergoing a generational transformation as the region was becoming a hub of innovation, sustainability, and technological excellence in which Bahrain was playing a leading role.

He added that Bahrain’s regulatory environment, skilled workforce and thriving fintech ecosystem offered strong opportunities for Pakistani banks and innovators.

He added that Bahrain’s regulatory environment, skilled workforce and thriving fintech ecosystem offered strong opportunities for Pakistani banks and innovators.

Similarly, in digital technology, Bahrain’s high-capacity subsea cables and expanding digital infrastructure were positioning it as a regional centre for data and connectivity, opening opportunities for Pakistani firms in software engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and next-generation digital services.

The finance minister said that as Bahrain was advancing Vision 2030 and laying the foundations for Vision 2050, it considers Pakistan a partner in a shared economic future.