The annual bilateral consultations between Pakistan and Qatar, scheduled to take place in Doha on Wednesday, have been postponed, according to official sources.
The Foreign Office had announced the high-level talks last week, with a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expected to represent Pakistan. Ishaq Dar had already chaired two preparatory meetings to finalize the agenda for discussions with Qatari officials.
However, sources revealed that the talks were postponed due to Ishaq Dar's sudden departure to China for an official visit. Both nations are reportedly in contact to finalize new dates for the rescheduled consultations.
The bilateral talks were expected to cover a wide range of topics, including economic cooperation, energy partnerships, and regional security matters.
According to the state media on Sunday, Ishaq Dar had convened an interministerial conference to discuss preparations for the Pakistan-Qatar Bilateral Political Consultations. Key topics like trade, investment, defence cooperation, and shared diplomatic objectives were anticipated to be discussed during the Qatar negotiations.
According to a Foreign Office spokesperson on Friday, Dar was scheduled to meet with the Qatari leadership in addition to leading Pakistan's delegation during the negotiations. The deputy PM was briefed by authorities on the status of several Pakistan-Qatar initiatives at the meeting on Sunday, according to Radio Pakistan.
According to the report, "The foreign minister and deputy prime minister emphasised that arrangements should be made for meaningful, fruitful, and outcome-oriented talks in Doha."
The discussions take place months after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Qatar in October 2024 to strengthen the two nations' economic ties. After leading delegation-level discussions with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, Sharif met with him separately to go over a variety of topics.
Sharif's office stated at the time that the leaders "examined the full range of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture."
Qatar and Pakistan have a long history of cultural, military, and economic ties. The Qatar Investment Authority pledged $3 billion in 2022 for projects in Pakistan that included hotels, renewable energy, and airport management.
The discussions between the two nations come as Islamabad is looking to increase trade and foreign investment to help its faltering economy, which is on a difficult road to recovery after Pakistan narrowly escaped default in June 2023.
