KAZAKHSTAN–PAKISTAN RELATIONS
(Brief Overview)
History of Bilateral Relations
Pakistan was among the first countries in the world to recognize the sovereign status of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1991.
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (IRP) were established on 24 February 1992.
Since 27 November 1994, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been operating in the capital of the IRP, Islamabad.
The first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Pakistan was the prominent Kazakh legal scholar Tamas Kalmukhambetovich Aitmukhambetov.
Subsequently, the position of Head of Kazakhstan’s diplomatic mission in Pakistan was held at various times by B.N. Narbayev (1999–2003), B.O. Isabayev (2003–2006), B.S. Shabarbayev (2006–2018), B.K. Sadykov (2018–2019), A.A. Rakhmetullin (2019–2021).
Since 18 May 2021, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the IRP has been E.S. Kistafin.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan also operates in Astana.
As of 2 March 2023, the Ambassador of Pakistan to Kazakhstan is Nauman Bashir Bhatti, the eleventh head of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in the country.
Political Cooperation
Official visits by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Pakistan in 1992 and 2003 played a significant role in the development of bilateral Kazakhstan–Pakistan relations.
In turn, the leadership of Pakistan has paid official and working visits to Kazakhstan at various times, including:
Leaders of Pakistan have repeatedly visited Kazakhstan to participate in major international events.
Последние визиты высокого уровня состоялись 13 октября 2022 года в рамках участия Премьер-министра ИРП Ш.Шарифа в Шестом Саммите СВМДА, а также 3-4 июля 2024 г. по случаю участия в Саммите ШОС в г.Астана.
The legal foundation of bilateral cooperation is based on the Agreement on the Establishment of Diplomatic and Consular Relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Declaration on the Principles of Bilateral Relations between the two countries.
It is worth noting that in autumn 2021, the Government of Pakistan announced the “Vision of Central Asia” initiative, which is highly prioritized by the Pakistani leadership in the context of promoting regional connectivity. The initiative outlines five priority areas: politics; trade and investment; energy and transport; security and defense; and people-to-people contacts.
In this regard, Pakistan attaches particular importance to strengthening cooperation with Kazakhstan – the largest economy in Central Asia.
The mutual interest in enhancing political dialogue and cooperation has been reaffirmed during the first, second, and third rounds of Kazakhstan–Pakistan political consultations at the level of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, held in Islamabad (28 February 2020), Astana (26 June 2023), and Islamabad (19 November 2024), respectively.
A significant milestone in the bilateral relations was the first-ever official visit of the Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Koshanov, to Islamabad, which took place on 11–13 December 2022 at the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. During the visit, the Chairman held meetings with the top leadership of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
One of the priority areas of bilateral cooperation, in the context of Kazakhstan’s ongoing political reforms and the strengthening of the human rights agenda, is the interaction between the Ombudspersons of the two countries.
From 11 to 13 September 2023, the Board of Directors meeting and General Assembly of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) took place in Kazan, Russian Federation, during which the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan was accepted as a permanent member of the regional Association. As of today, the AOA includes 45 member states (Kazakhstan joined on 13 September), including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, and several constituent entities of the Russian Federation (such as Tatarstan, Dagestan, and others).
A key item on the bilateral agenda remains the promotion of regional security and stable interregional interaction. In this regard, the coordination of actions between the security structures of both countries, namely, the Secretariats of the Security Councils of Kazakhstan and Pakistan plays an important role.
On 3 December 2021, a meeting was held in Astana between the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Secretary of the Security Council, Asset Issekeshev, and the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Moeed Yusuf. The Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for International Cooperation, Yerzhan Kazykhan, also took part in the meeting.
On 1–2 April 2022, at the invitation of the Pakistani side, the newly appointed Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, G.Nurdauletov, participated online in the Islamabad Security Dialogue.
On 18–19 August 2022, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Security Council Secretariats of the SCO member states, a bilateral meeting was held between G. Nurdauletov and the Secretary of the National Security Division of the Federal Government of Pakistan, Aamir Hasan.
Kazakhstan and Pakistan actively cooperate within multilateral international frameworks.
On 30 March 2021, on the sidelines of the 9th “Heart of Asia” Ministerial Conference under the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan in Dushanbe, a bilateral meeting was held between the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, and Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
On 1 June 2021, a group of Kazakhstani parliamentarians, comprising members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, participated online in the 2nd General Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held in Islamabad.
On 14 July 2021, another bilateral meeting between Mukhtar Tileuberdi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi took place in Dushanbe on the margins of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. During the meeting, the Pakistani side was handed the original invitation letter to participate in the CICA Ministerial Meeting, held on 11–12 October 2021 in Astana.
On 16 September 2021, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Dushanbe, a bilateral meeting was held between the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan.
On 19 December 2021, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Shakhrat Nuryshev, visited Pakistan to participate in the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan.
On 22–23 March 2022, a Kazakhstani delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, visited Islamabad to participate in the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
On 29 July 2022, during the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tashkent, bilateral talks were held between Mukhtar Tleuberdi and the newly appointed Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
On 16 September 2022, on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Samarkand (Republic of Uzbekistan), a bilateral meeting took place between the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.
On 11–15 October 2022, during the 145th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on climate change held in Kigali (Republic of Rwanda), a meeting took place between Aigul Kuspan, Chair of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
On 22–23 November 2022, in Rabat (Kingdom of Morocco), during the 9th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kairat Umarov, met with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar.
On 5 May 2023, on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Panaji, a bilateral meeting took place between Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
In September 2023, on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, a meeting was held between Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Jalil Abbas Jilani.
On 3 April 2024, in Astana, on the margins of the 19th Meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of SCO Member States, a bilateral meeting was held between the Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, G.Nurdauletov, and the Secretary of the National Security Division under the Prime Minister’s Office of Pakistan, Waqar Ahmad.
On 20–21 May 2024, on the margins of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana, a bilateral meeting took place between the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, and the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Ishaq Dar.
On 3–4 July 2024, a Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Astana to participate in the SCO Summit.
From 20 to 22 August 2024, in the context of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship of CICA, the Secretary-General of CICA, Kairat Sarybay, paid a working visit to Islamabad.
On 15–16 October 2024, in Islamabad, on the sidelines of the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, a bilateral meeting was held between the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, during which the sides discussed the current bilateral agenda.
On 12–13 November 2024, on the margins of the COP29 Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, a bilateral meeting took place between the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.
On 3 December 2024, during the 28th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a bilateral meeting was held between Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, and Deputy Prime Minister – Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Muhammad Ishaq Dar.
On 7 March 2025, in Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), on the sidelines of the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, met with Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister – Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
During the meetings, the parties discussed pressing issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic, and investment spheres, as well as the calendar of joint events for the current year.
Overall, Kazakhstan and Pakistan share close or coinciding positions on key international issues, which provides a solid foundation for effective intergovernmental cooperation within multilateral organizations, particularly the UN, OIC, CICA, SCO, ECO, and others.
Trade and Economic Cooperation
At present, the primary mechanism for the implementation of bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, investment, transport, and energy is the Kazakhstan–Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (IGC).
To date, the two sides have held thirteen sessions of the Intergovernmental Commission, the most recent of which took place on 29 December 2025 in Astana.
The Commission is co-chaired by the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Minister for Economic Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
There is a positive dynamic in trade and economic relations.
In 2024, bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Pakistan amounted to USD 53.7 million, which is a 0.9% increase compared to the same period in the previous year (USD 53.2 million).
Kazakhstan’s exports to Pakistan increased 2.1 times to reach USD 11.8 million, while imports from Pakistan decreased by 11.9%, amounting to USD 41.9 million.
Pakistan’s main exports to Kazakhstan include citrus fruits (USD 8.3 million), pharmaceutical products (USD 7.4 million), garments (USD 8.7 million), soap (USD 2.3 million), sports equipment and gear (USD 1.5 million), and others.
Kazakhstan’s exports to Pakistan primarily include onions and garlic (USD 5 million), dried leguminous vegetables (USD 2.4 million), oats (USD 1.2 million), buckwheat and other cereal grains (USD 514.9 thousand), articles of ferrous metals (USD 524.4 thousand), seeds and fruits of other oil-bearing crops (USD 421.1 thousand), among others.
A positive trend is observed not only in Kazakhstan’s export growth, but also in the investment sector, which continues to demonstrate promising developments.
Currently, negotiations are underway on the implementation of five investment projects, including “Spectrum Agro Protein” – construction of a poultry farm in Zhambyl Region; “Seasons Group” & “Kant Group” – construction of a flooring manufacturing plant in Zhetysu Region; “Almoiz Industry Limited” – construction/modernization of a sugar processing plant; “Fauji Fertilizer Company” – construction of a mineral fertilizer plant; “TapalTex” – construction of a carpet manufacturing facility.
In addition, there are currently 254 enterprises with Pakistani capital operating in Kazakhstan, including 235 legal entities and branches with Pakistani participation, and 19 joint ventures and branches with shared ownership.
The significant potential and strong interest of the business communities in establishing and enhancing cooperation is reflected in the 14th session of the Kazakhstan–Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission, scheduled for 2026.
Key instruments contributing to bilateral trade, economic, and investment cooperation include meetings of the Business Council, the Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment, business forums, and reciprocal working visits of business delegations from both countries.
Cooperation in the Military and Military-Technical Spheres
Kazakhstan and Pakistan have demonstrated a mutual interest in developing systematic cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres. As a result, relations between the defense authorities of the two countries are among the most productive and dynamically evolving areas of Kazakhstan–Pakistan interstate cooperation.
The foundation of bilateral cooperation in the military field is the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the Military Sphere, signed on 14 November 2012 in Astana. According to this document, the main areas of cooperation include:
Coordination and organization of military-related activities fall under the responsibility of the Joint Kazakhstan–Pakistan Military Commission, the 9th session of which (staff talks) was held in November 2023 in Rawalpindi.
Particular attention is given to military-technical cooperation, for which a Bilateral Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation has been established. The Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Defense Production of Pakistan serve as the authorized bodies within the Commission. The first meeting of the Joint Commission was held on 9–11 May 2023 in Islamabad (Rawalpindi).
One of the most promising areas of cooperation for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan is collaboration in the field of military education and personnel training. Kazakhstani military personnel regularly attend training courses in Pakistan.
Since 2005, approximately 100 servicemen and personnel of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan have completed training in Pakistani military educational institutions. Between 2020 and 2024, 40 servicemen underwent specialized training in courses such as Snow Warfare Course, Military Free-Fall, English Language Course, and Urdu Language Course. In July 2022, two officers of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan completed training at the National Defense University of Pakistan.
In turn, the Pakistani side has shown interest in sending its military personnel to study in Kazakhstan’s National Defense University (NDU) under Master’s programs with integrated language training (including a 9-month Russian language course).
To enhance cooperation between the defense institutions of the two countries in the area of education, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 22 April 2024 between the National Defense University of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Defense University of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
A relatively new and promising area of Kazakhstan–Pakistan military cooperation is peacekeeping activity under the auspices of the United Nations, in which Pakistan possesses extensive expertise.
Pakistan is one of the world’s leading contributors of troops to UN peacekeeping missions and has vast experience in this field. The country provides comprehensive support to Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping initiatives, including the development of peacekeeping capabilities of the Kazakh Armed Forces.
Of particular importance are the training courses on peacekeeping operations and military observer missions conducted at the Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS) in Islamabad.
Cooperation in the Cultural and Humanitarian Sphere
The fields of science, education, sports, culture, tourism, information, philanthropy, and environmental protection are among the key areas of Kazakhstan–Pakistan bilateral cooperation.
The two countries demonstrate highly productive cultural and humanitarian collaboration within various multilateral platforms, including the International Turkic Academy, the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC (COMSTECH), the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), and the ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF).
Within the framework of these international organizations, Kazakhstan and Pakistan regularly organize forums dedicated to prominent historical and cultural figures of both nations—Al-Farabi, Abai Kunanbayev, Allama Iqbal, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and others.
Leading Pakistani universities and think tanks serve as important platforms for informing the Pakistani public about the political and social reforms taking place in Kazakhstan, initiated by the country’s leadership.
At the same time, academic and scientific ties between leading universities are being strengthened, along with growing cooperation between research institutions of both countries.
In August 2022 and January 2023, by decision of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan provided humanitarian assistance to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the amount of USD 400,000 and USD 500,000, respectively, in response to the devastating floods that affected one-third of the country. Expressions of solidarity were extended to the people and Government of Pakistan.
On a regular basis, charity campaigns are conducted, including the distribution of food baskets to children with disabilities and those in need.
The two sides continue fruitful cooperation within the framework of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, a multilateral forum in which representatives of Pakistani theological and state institutions such as the International Islamic University Islamabad, the Council of Islamic Ideology of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony of Pakistan, and others, traditionally participate actively.
Active interaction is observed between the two sides in the field of sports. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Alpine Federations of Kazakhstan and Pakistan concerning joint mountain expeditions as part of sport climbing cooperation.
Following the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Commission, held on 20–21 December 2024 in Astana, Memoranda of Cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture were signed.
In 2023, the following bilateral memoranda were signed between the Alpine Federations (15 March 2023), Tennis Federations (10 December 2023), Golf Federations (15 October 2023), Taekwondo Federations (4 December 2023), between the “Qazaq Batyr” Martial Arts Academy and the “Sukh Chan” Fitness Club (24 July 2023), Cycling Federations (9 June 2024), and Chess Federations (18 June 2024).
To date, Abai Kunanbayev’s philosophical work “Book of Words” has been translated into four regional languages of Pakistan (Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, and Pashto), along with the publication of a Kazakh–Urdu phrasebook.
With the support of the Embassy, two parts of the historical feature film “Kazakh Khanate” were dubbed into Urdu and screened in cinemas in Islamabad and Lahore, as well as broadcast on Pakistan’s leading television channel PTV.
A particularly promising area of cooperation is education, which holds strong potential for the annual increase in the number of Pakistani students enrolled in Kazakhstani universities. Currently, around 1,500 Pakistani citizens are studying in Kazakhstan.
One of the key initiatives in bilateral relations was the establishment of the alumni association “Kazakhstan – My Second Homeland” in 2022, which acts as an effective tool of soft power in promoting people-to-people ties.
In September 2023, members of the Association visited Kazakhstan and held their third meeting with the participation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Sayasat Nurbek, on 22 September 2023.
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan