Trade pact in focus as Kyrgyz president on first Pakistan visit in 20 years

• Foreign office says visit expected to accelerate stalled transit trade pact toward $100 million target
• CASA-1000 and regional energy corridors will be central to Islamabad–Bishkek discussions today

ISLAMABAD: Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov will hold talks with Pakistan’s leadership in Islamabad today, Thursday, with both sides expected to push for progress on a long-delayed transit trade pact and expand cooperation on energy, connectivity and regional transport corridors, Pakistan’s foreign office said.

The trip, the first by a Kyrgyz head of state to Pakistan in 20 years, comes at a time when the two governments are seeking to lift annual trade from under $10 million to a long-discussed target of $100 million and revive regional power projects stalled for years. Islamabad is looking to open overland routes into Central Asia, while Bishkek seeks access to ports that link into South Asia’s consumer markets.

Zhaparov arrived in the capital on Wednesday and will hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Pakistani leaders today and address the Pakistan–Kyrgyzstan Business Forum, where private firms are expected to join discussions on trade and logistics.

Central to the talks is the Pakistan–Kyrgyzstan Transit Trade Agreement, which both sides describe as key to scaling cross-border commerce.

“We noted with satisfaction the convening of a business forum and expressed hope that early finalization of the Transit Trade Agreement will help achieve the bilateral trade target of $100 million,” the foreign office said after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev on Wednesday.

Achieving that target would require an almost tenfold increase in current trade flows.

Pakistan has exported an estimated $5–8 million worth of goods to Kyrgyzstan in recent years, with minimal imports in return. Officials and analysts say progress depends on updated transport corridors, smoother border clearances and deeper private-sector involvement, all themes tied directly to the president’s visit.

Energy is another anchor of cooperation. According to the foreign office, both governments on Wednesday reaffirmed the “timely and effective implementation” of CASA-1000, a long-delayed $1.2 billion transmission project to export surplus Kyrgyz and Tajik hydropower to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The project has been slowed for years by security risks and financing challenges but remains central to regional electricity integration plans.

Islamabad and Bishkek also agreed to expand collaboration in education, workforce mobility and people-to-people exchanges, and coordinate positions at multilateral platforms including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Zhaparov’s appearance at the Business Forum later today is expected to bring business delegations from both sides into talks on transport, investment, manufacturing and trade.