Pakistan and Bahrain Set $1 Billion Trade Target, Agree Trade Working Group
Pakistan and Bahrain set a $1 billion trade target on 8 October 2026 and agreed a trade working group. What it means for 134,000 Pakistanis living in Bahrain.
Pakistan and Bahrain have set a target of $1 billion in two-way trade and agreed to set up a government-level Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment. The decisions came at the third Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad on 8 October 2026. Labour mobility for skilled Pakistani workers was also on the list.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the trade target. Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, said the two countries "have to double their trade in three years". Both men signed the minutes of the session, the formal record of what was agreed.
We read the Radio Pakistan reports of the session, the press conference and the meetings around it. Here is what was decided, what was only discussed, and what it means for workers, exporters and families who depend on money sent from Bahrain.
Pakistan and Bahrain agreed a $1 billion trade target on 8 October
Ishaq Dar told the Joint Ministerial Commission on 8 October that Pakistan and Bahrain have set a target of raising bilateral trade to $1 billion. He said both governments and both business communities must push to reach it. Neither side gave today's trade figure in the statements we read.
A Joint Ministerial Commission is a regular meeting where ministers from two countries review every area of cooperation at once. This was the third session. Ahead of it we set out the agenda for the Bahrain talks, when no outcome had yet been published.
A trade target is a goal, not a contract. It does not cut a tariff or open a market by itself. What makes it real is the machinery agreed alongside it, and that is where the session produced something concrete.
A new trade working group is the main concrete outcome
Both sides agreed to create a Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment at government level, Radio Pakistan reported. It is meant to hold regular talks on trade and investment. Bahrain's minister added that a separate working group on energy, covering oil, gas and minerals, will meet next month.
The signed minutes list the areas where the two governments recorded understandings:
- Trade and investment, through the new Joint Working Group.
- Agriculture and food security.
- Oil, gas and minerals, with the energy working group due to meet in November.
- Maritime affairs, information technology and telecommunications.
- Health, education and labour.
| Item | Status after 8 October |
|---|---|
| $1 billion trade target | Announced by Ishaq Dar |
| Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment | Agreed, to be set up |
| Joint Working Group on Energy | To meet next month, Bahrain's minister said |
| GCC-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement | Both sides "committed to finalising" it |
| Labour mobility and training | Commitment to cooperate, no numbers given |
The free trade line is worth watching. Bahrain is one of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Gulf bloc that also includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A GCC-Pakistan deal would cover all six markets at once, but no date for it was given.
About 134,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain
Ishaq Dar said about 134,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain and called for easier movement of skilled Pakistani workers there. The two sides committed to cooperation in labour mobility, vocational training and skills, Dar said, to open new chances for Pakistani professionals and workers.
No new visa rule, quota or job scheme was announced. So if you are planning to work in Bahrain, the route has not changed. Go through a licensed agent or the government recruiter, and never pay a fee you cannot trace. You can check an overseas job agency in Pakistan against the Bureau of Emigration's list before handing over your passport.
Remittances show the stakes for families at home. Pakistanis in Bahrain sent home $571.8 million in the year to June 2026, and $49.7 million in August 2026 alone, according to State Bank of Pakistan data. That is small next to Saudi Arabia, but steady.
Hormuz and the Red Sea route were on the table too
The two ministers discussed "the evolving situation in the Gulf" and stressed restraint, de-escalation and diplomacy, Dar said. They spoke of the need to keep shipping free through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-ul-Mandab, because both matter for food and energy security in the region.
For Pakistan this is not a side issue. Much of the oil and gas Pakistan imports comes by sea from the Gulf, so trouble in those waters can feed into fuel prices at home. The ministers did not announce any shipping measure. They only stated a shared position.
Dar also raised Afghanistan and the Indus Waters Treaty. He said a foreign territory must not be used against Pakistan, and called India's decision to hold the treaty in abeyance "a material breach of international law".
Bahrain's minister also met the Prime Minister and the army chief
Dr Al Zayani called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad and on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, in Rawalpindi. The Prime Minister spoke of trade, investment, energy and human resource development. The army chief's talks covered defence and security.
The two countries mark 55 years of diplomatic relations on 14 October, Bahrain's minister said. Expect more statements around that date.
What should readers do now? Nothing changes overnight. Exporters can watch for the first meeting of the trade working group. Job seekers should keep to official channels such as OEC, Pakistan's government recruiter, and treat any "new Bahrain quota" message as unconfirmed until a ministry publishes it.
Common questions
What trade target did Pakistan and Bahrain set?
$1 billion in bilateral trade, Ishaq Dar said on 8 October 2026. Bahrain's minister said the aim is to double trade in three years.
What is the Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment?
A standing government-level group the two sides agreed to set up for regular talks on trade and investment between Pakistan and Bahrain.
How many Pakistanis live in Bahrain?
About 134,000, according to Ishaq Dar's remarks at the session on 8 October 2026.
Are there new Bahrain jobs or visas for Pakistanis?
No new visa rule or job quota was announced. The sides only committed to cooperate on labour mobility and training.
Is the GCC-Pakistan free trade agreement signed?
The two sides said they are committed to finalising it. No signing date was announced on 8 October.
When is the next Pakistan-Bahrain meeting?
Bahrain's minister said the Joint Working Group on Energy will meet next month. No exact date was given.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026, about 2:30 am PKT. We read Radio Pakistan's reports of the $1 billion trade target, the signed minutes and working group, the joint press conference, and the Bahraini minister's meetings with the Prime Minister and the army chief. Remittance figures are from the State Bank of Pakistan's country-wise data. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had published only its curtain raiser for the visit when we checked.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
