ISLAMABAD: Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday on a three-day state visit, accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation.
The visit marks the first by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years, as the two countries celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations, the Foreign Office said.
The presidential couple received a red-carpet welcome at Islamabad International Airport, where the visiting leader was accorded a 21-gun salute.
The President of the Republic of Maldives is accompanied by the First Lady, Madam Sajidha Mohamed, and a high-level delegation comprising Cabinet Ministers and senior officials.
During the visit, President Muizzu will meet the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, who will also host a State Banquet in his honour. He will also hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and explore avenues for further strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, tourism, agriculture, defence, maritime security, climate change and people-to-people exchanges. They will also exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.
The visit will also feature a Pakistan–Maldives Business Forum, aimed at promoting greater interaction between the business communities of the two countries and exploring new opportunities for trade and investment. A number of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering diverse areas of bilateral cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit.
The State Visit, the first by a President of the Maldives to Pakistan in eleven years, assumes special significance as the two countries commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1966.
Pakistan and the Maldives enjoy warm and fraternal relations rooted in shared faith, mutual respect, longstanding goodwill and close cooperation at regional and international forums. The visit reflects the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthening their bilateral partnership and opening new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation.
The delegation was received at the airport by the Foreign Office spokesperson, the Director General for South Asia and SAARC, the Maldivian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and the Pakistani
High Commissioner to the Maldives.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026