III. Competition Period
Islamabad, 25 September 2026 – Following the tragic loss of servicemen and the declaration of national mourning in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the State Flag was lowered to half-mast and a Book of Condolences was opened at the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The tragedy occurred on 24 September during exercises of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea coast. While carrying out a combat training mission, 17 servicemen were swept out to sea as a result of a sudden deterioration in weather conditions and strong winds. Fourteen of them lost their lives.
Heads and representatives of diplomatic missions, members of the military commands of foreign states, as well as representatives of the expert community and the media visited the Embassy to pay tribute to the deceased and express their support for the people of Kazakhstan.
Messages of condolence were left in the Book by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of foreign affairs of Pakistan Ambassador B. Hayee; Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Pakistan Mr. A. Metelitsa; Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Pakistan Mr. A. Khorev; Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan Mr. I. Davudov; Ambassador of Tajikistan to Pakistan Mr. Y. Sharifzoda; Ambassador of Türkiye to Pakistan Mr. I. Neziroglu; Ambassador of Romania to Pakistan Mr. D. Stoenescu; Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan Mr. Z. Zaid; U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Ms. N. Baker; Chargé d’Affaires of Kyrgyzstan Mr. A. Tilebaliev; Defence Attaché of the Russian Federation Mr. V. Fenchenko; Defence Attaché of Iraq Major General M. Abbas; U.S. Defence Attaché Captain N. Amiral; Defence Attaché of Japan Mr. T. Takeshi; Defence Attaché of Malaysia Mr. N. Binotman; Defence Attaché of Azerbaijan Mr. E. Movsumov; Defence Attaché of Egypt Mr. M Fayez, UNICEF Representative and UN Resident Coordinator a.i Ms. P. Ironside; diplomats of the Embassies of Malaysia, Oman, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Nepal; as well as representatives of Pakistan’s expert community and media.
The visitors expressed their deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased and conveyed their solidarity with the people of Kazakhstan at this time of sorrow.
The Embassy of Kazakhstan to Pakistan expresses its sincere gratitude to all those who shared the grief of this loss and conveyed their sympathy and support.
Islamabad, 21 August 2026 – In connection with the completion of the diplomatic mission of H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, he held a meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan H.E. Mr. Shehbaz Sharif on 10 August and was received by President of Pakistan H.E. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari on 20 August.
During the meetings, President of Pakistan H.E. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister of Pakistan H.E. Mr. Shehbaz Sharif highly commended the work of the Embassy, noted the significant results achieved, and particularly highlighted the state visit of H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to Islamabad in February 2026.
The Pakistani leadership expressed appreciation for the work accomplished and reaffirmed its interest in further expanding and strengthening bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest.
In turn, the Ambassador expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the leadership and the people of Pakistan for their support and assistance, which contributed to elevating cooperation between our countries to the level of a strategic partnership.
Islamabad, 17 August 2026 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Murtaza Solangi, Spokesperson to the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation and prospects for its further development, with particular emphasis on strengthening interaction between the media communities of the two countries.
The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to Mr. M. Solangi for his continued support and contribution to fostering cooperation between the media of Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the sides agreed to continue joint efforts towards the practical implementation of the agreements and memoranda signed during the State Visit of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Pakistan in February this year.
Islamabad, 31 July 2026 – H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Aqeel Malik, Minister of State for Law and Justice of Pakistan.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the current Kazakhstan-Pakistan bilateral agenda, as well as planned visits and activities scheduled for the near future.
The interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the strong momentum of cooperation not only between government institutions, but also among business, academic, cultural, scientific and technical communities, sports federations, and other stakeholders.
In this context, particular emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen cooperation in the legal sphere, primarily between the competent authorities of the two countries.
To facilitate substantive discussions, the parties agreed to hold negotiations between representatives of the Ministries of Justice of Kazakhstan and Pakistan in order to identify specific areas of mutual interest for both sides.
Islamabad, July 29, 2026 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin received a delegation from the Association of Chemical Manufacturers of Pakistan headed by Chairman Haroon Ali Khan.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for cooperation in the chemical industry. The Head of the Association spoke about the main activities and products manufactured by Pakistan companies. Interest was expressed in establishing exports to Kazakhstan, as well as opening enterprises jointly with domestic manufacturers representing the chemical industry.
In turn, Ambassador Y.Kistafin spoke about the current state of cooperation in the trade, economic, transport and logistics spheres. Separately, the Ambassador focused on the investment climate in Kazakhstan, the existing business opportunities for doing business and the created favorable ecosystem.
Following the meeting, the Chairman and members of the Association expressed their intention to visit Kazakhstan this year.
Islamabad, 30 July 2026 - The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, held a meeting with the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan, H.E. Mrs. Shaza Fatima Khawaja.
During the talks, the parties positively assessed the recent progress and noted the steady advancement of Kazakhstan–Pakistan cooperation in information technology and telecommunications.
Particular attention was paid to the practical implementation of the agreements reached during the State Visit of President of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev to Islamabad on 3–4 February this year, including the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The opening of the first Kazakhstan–Pakistan Artificial Intelligence Center at GIFT University in Gujranwala on 6 July was highlighted as one of the practical outcomes of bilateral cooperation. The parties also discussed prospects for further collaboration between Astana Hub and the Ignite National Technology Fund, as well as the expansion of direct ties between IT companies and startups of the two countries.
The Federal Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s interest in deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan and developing direct contacts between the relevant government authorities, development institutions and technology companies of the two countries.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness to continue their joint efforts aimed at implementing the agreements reached and launching mutually beneficial projects in digital technologies.
Islamabad, 28 July 2026 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin held a meeting with the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar.
During the talks, the parties positively assessed the progress achieved in recent years and noted the steady development of Kazakhstan-Pakistan cooperation in higher education.
Particular attention was paid to prospects for expanding direct ties between universities of the two countries, implementing joint educational and research projects, promoting academic mobility, and facilitating exchanges of students, faculty members and researchers.
The HEC Chairman thanked the Kazakh side for providing a grant of USD 1 million to the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (Pak-EEF) in implementation of the instruction issued by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following his visit to Islamabad. He also highly commended the outcomes of the visit to Kazakhstan by Pakistan’s Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training, H.E. Mrs. Wajiha Qamar, during which productive talks were held with government officials and leading universities of Kazakhstan.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness to continue their joint efforts to advance bilateral cooperation in education through concrete projects and initiatives.
Islamabad, 28 July 2026 – Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Y.Kistafin held a meeting with the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs of Pakistan Muhammad Junaid Anwar.
The parties discussed the current state of cooperation and prospects for further engagement in the transport and logistics sector. Particular attention was paid to enhancing regional connectivity and developing international transport corridors. They also underscored the importance of coordinating efforts to increase cargo transportation volumes and diversify logistics routes.
The Federal Minister reaffirmed interest in continuing a constructive dialogue and implementing joint initiatives aimed at strengthening transport connectivity and expanding trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Minister, for his part, assured the Ambassador of the Pakistani side’s readiness to provide access to the maritime infrastructure located along the Arabian Sea coast.
Islamabad, July 29, 2026 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin held a meeting with Lt. (R) Sohail Ashraf, Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Chief Commissioner of Islamabad.
During the meeting, Ambassador Kistafin briefed his counterpart on the current agenda of Kazakhstan-Pakistan cooperation and shared the outcomes of the first State Visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to Pakistan in February 2026. Particular attention was given to the agreements reached during the visit and to promising bilateral projects within the framework of interregional cooperation.
The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the municipal authorities of Astana and Islamabad. In particular, they explored prospects for collaboration in the fields of digitalization, information technology, artificial intelligence, education, urban infrastructure development, urban greening, as well as the establishment of direct contacts between the chambers of commerce and industry and business communities of the two capitals.
Chairman of the CDA Mr. Sohail Ashraf expressed his interest in advancing practical cooperation in these areas and supported the initiative to further expand ties between the two capitals.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to organize reciprocal visits by representatives of the municipal authorities of Astana and Islamabad in 2026-2027 to exchange best practices and implement joint initiatives.