Islamabad, July 29, 2026: Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, called on Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Lt. (Retd.) Sohail Ashraf, to discuss expanding cooperation between the capitals of Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
During the meeting, Ambassador Kistafin briefed the CDA chairman on the current agenda of Kazakhstan-Pakistan relations and shared the outcomes of the first state visit of Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to Pakistan in February 2026. He highlighted the key agreements reached during the visit and discussed promising bilateral initiatives, particularly in the framework of interregional cooperation.
The two sides reviewed opportunities to strengthen collaboration between the municipal authorities of Astana and Islamabad. Discussions focused on cooperation in digitalisation, information technology, artificial intelligence, education, urban infrastructure development, urban greening, and enhancing direct links between the chambers of commerce and industry and the business communities of the two capitals.
Chairman CDA Lt. (Retd.) Sohail Ashraf expressed interest in advancing practical cooperation in these sectors and welcomed the initiative to further strengthen ties between Astana and Islamabad.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to organise reciprocal visits by representatives of the municipal authorities of Astana and Islamabad during 2026-27 to exchange expertise, share best practices and implement joint development initiatives.
