Islamabad, May 20, 2025: His Excellency Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, called on Mr. Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Chief Commissioner Islamabad, and Director General Civil Defence, at the CDA Headquarters on Tuesday.
The meeting was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere and was attended by Member Administration, Member Estate, and other senior CDA officials. Discussions focused on avenues to enhance development, beautification, economic cooperation, and tourism in the federal capital.
Ambassador Kistafin lauded the CDA’s ongoing efforts in maintaining Islamabad’s status as a model capital in terms of planning and sustainability. He expressed Kazakhstan’s keen interest in deepening ties with Islamabad, particularly through initiatives in trade, tourism, and urban development.
A key highlight of the meeting was the ambassador’s proposal to name a road in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, after Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. In a reciprocal gesture, he suggested that a road in Islamabad be named after Kazakhstan’s national poet, Mr. Abai Qunanbauly. It was agreed that the unveiling ceremony of the renamed streets would take place during the upcoming visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Pakistan later this year.
Chairman Randhawa recalled the sister city relationship between Islamabad and Astana, established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2004. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to its “brotherly relations with Kazakhstan” and outlined key development projects under CDA’s consideration for potential collaboration. These include A state-of-the-art slaughterhouse to improve hygiene and meat processing standards, A Business Facilitation Center to serve as a one-stop shop for commercial services, A modern football stadium with international-level facilities to promote sports and an upcoming industrial exhibition in Islamabad, scheduled for October 2025.
Both sides agreed to designate focal persons to enhance institutional coordination between the CDA and the Embassy of Kazakhstan.
Chairman Randhawa also shared Islamabad’s ongoing initiatives to enhance quality of life, including revitalization of public parks and green spaces, introduction of electric buses for sustainable urban transport, launch of a cable car project and development of theme and adventure parks and creation of food streets to boost tourism and local business
The meeting concluded with both parties reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new avenues for cooperation. Ambassador Kistafin extended an official invitation to Chairman Randhawa to visit Astana for bilateral engagements with his counterparts and other stakeholders.
To mark the occasion, Chairman Randhawa presented a souvenir to Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin at the CDA Headquarters.
