Kazakh President Tokayev to begin two-day state visit to Pakistan tomorrow

WEB DESK: Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow, February 3, for a two-day state visit that is expected to significantly strengthen bilateral ties and open new chapters of economic and strategic cooperation between the two brotherly nations.

According to Radio Pakistan, the visit, being undertaken at the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, marks the first state visit by a Kazakh president to Pakistan in recent years. President Tokayev will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation that includes senior cabinet ministers and other top officials, underlining the importance Astana attaches to this engagement.

During his stay in Islamabad on February 3 and 4, President Tokayev is scheduled to hold important meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The leaders will hold wide-ranging talks covering political cooperation, trade and investment, logistics, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts, and collaboration in regional and international forums.

A major highlight of the visit will be President Tokayev’s address to the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum, where business communities from both countries will explore concrete investment and joint venture opportunities.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the visit as “an important and timely opportunity” for both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral relations and identify fresh avenues for collaboration.

Strategic Importance and Economic Potential

Pakistan and Kazakhstan enjoy warm and friendly diplomatic relations. Kazakhstan remains Pakistan’s largest export destination among Central Asian countries, reflecting growing commercial linkages.

Experts highlight the strong complementarities between the two economies. Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia by landmass and resources, offers Pakistan a strategic gateway to Russian, Central Asian, and Eastern European markets. At the same time, Pakistan’s geographical location and access to warm-water ports position it as an ideal land bridge connecting Central Asia to South Asia and beyond.

For Kazakhstan, deeper ties with Pakistan provide an important avenue to diversify its international trade routes especially valuable amid ongoing turbulence in Eurasia following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Recent Momentum and Future Outlook

The visit builds on positive momentum generated earlier this year. In September 2025, during the visit of then-Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, both sides signed the Action Plan of Cooperation, laying a solid foundation for expanded engagement.

The Foreign Ministry statement emphasized that the forthcoming visit “reflects the strengthening bonds between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, their mutual commitment to transforming historic and cultural affinities into robust cooperation, and their common desire for peace and progress in the region.”

Officials expect the visit to result in the signing of several important agreements and memoranda of understanding, particularly in the areas of transport, logistics, trade facilitation, and connectivity projects.

For Pakistan, the visit represents a clear step forward in its Look North policy and broader vision of regional integration. For Kazakhstan, it offers a reliable southern partner and a pathway to global maritime trade routes.

As preparations reach final stages in Islamabad, the two-day engagement is widely seen as a win-win opportunity that has the potential to transform long-standing friendship into a dynamic, result-oriented partnership benefiting both nations and contributing to stability and prosperity across Eurasia.