Pakistan asks Qatar to help speed up GCC free trade pact
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan co-chaired the Doha task force meeting, where Pakistan said its approved FTA text had already gone to the GCC Secretariat.
Pakistan has asked Qatar to help push the Gulf Cooperation Council toward early signing of a free trade agreement, saying it has finished its own approval process and wants the remaining formalities completed quickly.
The request came at the second meeting of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force on Trade and Investment in Doha on October 24, co-chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Dr Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, according to ProPakistani. Business Recorder and Profit also reported the FTA request in their headlines; the detailed account of the Doha discussions was carried by ProPakistani.
Pakistan told the meeting it had completed domestic approvals and sent the agreed agreement text to the GCC Secretariat on December 31, 2025, and asked Doha to help expedite the outstanding steps.
On market access, Pakistan asked Qatar to resolve restrictions on its bone-in meat exports, saying a technical dossier covering animal health and food safety requirements had already been submitted.
The two sides also discussed a proposed government-to-government arrangement under which the Trading Corporation of Pakistan would supply rice to Qatar's Hassad Food. That proposal has been sent to the federal cabinet for approval.
Pakistan invited Qatari investment into modern agriculture, grain storage, silos, cold storage, cold-chain infrastructure and advanced farming technology. It also presented opportunities in electric vehicles, automobile manufacturing, information technology and digital infrastructure, with talks covering joint manufacturing, technology transfer and industrial partnerships.
In the maritime sector, Pakistan offered Qatar a role in shipping and in securing oil tankers, liquefied natural gas carriers and container vessels. The proposed Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway was presented as an investment opening to link seaports with the national road network and regional trade routes. Pakistan also floated the concept of an investment fund covering infrastructure, agriculture, industrial development and information technology.
Pakistan called for the early launch of 11 technical working groups covering agriculture, logistics, aviation, advanced manufacturing, mining, tourism, healthcare, financial technology, education, IT and startups. It said the groups should identify specific trade and investment opportunities, settle outstanding issues and prepare sector-wise recommendations before the task force's third meeting, which Pakistan will host.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to trade facilitation and investment cooperation. Khan and Al-Sayed signed the minutes of the task force's first meeting during the Doha session.
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