Canada announces over $47m in assistance

Canada has announced more than $47 million in assistance for security and development projects in Pakistan, as foreign ministers from the two countries held talks in Islamabad on Monday focused on trade, investment and wider bilateral cooperation.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, on a one-day official visit to Pakistan, said Ottawa wanted to identify new opportunities for engagement with Islamabad in sectors including agriculture, mining, energy and industry. The visit was described by Ms Anand as the first by a Canadian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly two decades.

At a joint press stakeout, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said both sides had agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, security and development, while also working to institutionalise regular contact between ministries and other stakeholders. He invited Canadian companies to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s priority sectors, including education, energy, mining and critical minerals, agriculture, infrastructure and information technology.

According to the discussions outlined by both sides, the two governments also covered education, labour mobility, science and technology, climate change, consular matters and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged views on Afghanistan and counterterrorism cooperation.

Ms Anand said Canada had announced more than $2.2 million for three security cooperation projects linked to border management, counterterrorism, financial crime investigations and law enforcement training. The projects will involve partnerships with Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

She also announced $45 million in new development assistance for Pakistan, aimed at climate resilience, girls’ education, reproductive health, family planning and flood recovery. Those programmes are expected to be carried out through the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada, the UN Development Programme and the UN Population Fund.

Trade and investment were central themes of the talks. Ms Anand said both sides had agreed to expedite the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement to give businesses greater confidence. She noted that Pakistan had imported more than 470,000 tonnes of Canadian canola in the last crop year and said Canada hoped to see stronger Pakistani exports in products such as rice, textiles and sporting goods.

The Canadian minister also pointed to ongoing private-sector links, including a 240-megawatt hybrid wind and solar project at Dhabeji being developed by JCM Power with K-Electric, and Barrick’s investment in the Reko Diq mining project.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the two sides agreed to exchange delegations on trade and minerals cooperation and to look for mutually beneficial opportunities to expand commerce and investment. The prime minister also witnessed the signing of a protocol on phytosanitary import requirements for genetically modified canola for food, feed and processing from Canada to Pakistan.

Ms Anand later met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, where both sides reaffirmed their intent to broaden ties with a focus on trade, security cooperation, migration management and institutional collaboration. She also called on Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army chief briefed her on Pakistan’s view of global peace and regional stability, while the visiting minister appreciated Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism and its efforts to promote stability.

Mr Dar also raised regional issues during the day, including Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, seeking Canada’s support for restoration of the treaty and urging respect for international law and treaty obligations. Ms Anand, for her part, said Canada remained concerned about conflict in the Middle East