Islamabad, September 22, 2026: The Pakistan-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) on Tuesday held a meeting with a visiting parliamentary delegation from the Maldives to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand parliamentary, economic and people-to-people cooperation.
The meeting, held at the Constitution Room of Parliament House, was chaired by PFG Convener Shaista Khan, MNA. Members of the National Assembly, including Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Sabheen Ghoury, Akhtar Bibi, Asia Naz Tanoli, Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Isphanyar M. Bhandara and Sanjay Perwani, participated in the meeting.
Welcoming the Maldivian delegation, Shaista Khan said Pakistan and the Maldives enjoyed longstanding and cordial relations based on mutual respect, shared values and close people-to-people ties.
She emphasized the importance of sustained parliamentary interaction and reciprocal visits to strengthen bilateral relations and enable both sides to benefit from each other’s legislative and parliamentary experiences.
The convener said the Parliamentary Friendship Group provided an important platform for regular institutional engagement and expressed interest in increasing interaction between parliamentarians, including through virtual engagements.
The Maldivian delegation appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality extended by Pakistan’s National Assembly and reaffirmed the importance of the two countries’ longstanding friendly relations.
The delegation highlighted potential areas for expanded cooperation, including medical services, food, construction, tourism and fishing. It also stressed the importance of reconnecting the two peoples through greater parliamentary, institutional and people-to-people interaction.
Direct air connectivity was identified as an important area of cooperation, particularly for promoting tourism, business, medical travel and people-to-people contacts. The Maldivian side said improved connectivity could create greater opportunities for businesses and citizens of both countries.
The delegation also referred to the forthcoming visit of the President of Maldives to Pakistan as an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Members of the Pakistani Parliamentary Friendship Group discussed avenues for expanding cooperation in trade and investment, healthcare, education, information technology, skills development, agriculture, tourism and business-to-business linkages.
They highlighted Pakistan’s expertise and human resource potential in areas such as healthcare and skills development, while also identifying opportunities for greater agricultural, commercial and technological cooperation.
Both sides emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, high-level exchanges, direct connectivity and people-to-people contacts in consolidating Pakistan-Maldives relations.
They expressed their resolve to maintain regular engagement through Parliamentary Friendship Groups and other appropriate channels and to explore new areas of cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
