Reporting snapshot · 21 October 2026 (Asia/Karachi). This account is built on the joint press stakeout carried by Geo News and The Express Tribune, the Foreign Office readout of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar's meeting with President Muizzu, and the Inter-Services Public Relations readout of Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir's meeting with President Muizzu. The full texts of the 20 memorandums of understanding, the official Maldivian readout and the post-ceremony communique have not been published; details may change as the two governments issue further statements.
What was signed
Pakistan and the Maldives signed 20 memorandums of understanding on 21 October during the three-day state visit of Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, covering defence, information technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital skills, narcotics control, social protection, health, recruitment of health professionals, maritime security, agriculture, fisheries, technical and vocational training, higher education, youth and sports development, air connectivity, tourism and environmental cooperation, The Express Tribune reported on the day. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Muizzu witnessed the exchange at a ceremony in Islamabad, and the documents were signed by representatives of both sides, Geo News reported on the same day.
A separate memorandum between Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority and the Maldives Food and Drug Authority was also concluded. Institutional pacts linked the Maldives Police Service’s National College of Policy and Law Enforcement with Pakistan’s National Police Academy in Islamabad, paired the Maldives Civil Service Commission with Pakistan’s Federal Public Service Commission, and matched the Maldives’ commission with Pakistan’s Civil Service Academy. The Maldives State Trading Organisation and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan signed an MoU on agricultural commodities, food and other goods, The Express Tribune reported, citing both governments’ readouts of the ceremony.
A $200m trade target
Speaking after the signing ceremony, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan and the Maldives had agreed to lift bilateral trade from $13.9 million to $200 million within two years, with the “complete endorsement” of President Muizzu, The Express Tribune reported. “We will do our best jointly to raise this bilateral trade quantum from 13 million dollars to 200 million dollars in the next two years,” the prime minister said at the joint press stakeout. President Muizzu endorsed the pledge in his own remarks. “I fully endorse and agree to take our bilateral trade between our two countries from 13 million to 200 million dollars within the next two years,” Muizzu said, according to the same Express Tribune account.
The two sides identified specific deliverables: PM Shehbaz announced that Pakistan would support the Maldives’ plan to plant five million trees by donating 100,000 olive cuttings and 100,000 seeds of different plant species “in due course of time”. He also welcomed the Maldives’ plan to establish data centres, saying Pakistan had developed its own technical capabilities — from half-megawatt to 8.5-megawatt facilities — and was willing to share its experience. About 250 Pakistani doctors and Pakistani paramedics already serve in the Maldives, and Pakistan was willing to provide more professionals, the prime minister said. A Maldives-Pakistan Business Forum scheduled for 22 October is expected to formalise private-sector deals behind the new public-sector MoUs, the same Express Tribune article reported.
What else came out of the visit
Muizzu, who arrived in Islamabad on 20 October with First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and a delegation that included cabinet ministers and senior officials, was received at the PM House on Wednesday morning by PM Shehbaz, accorded a guard of honour and played the two national anthems. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on President Muizzu earlier in the visit, conveying greetings from President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz, and welcoming the Maldives’ business delegation to the joint business forum. “He warmly welcomed the President and his delegation to Pakistan,” the Foreign Office said in a post on X on 21 October. The FO statement said FM Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “longstanding fraternal relations” and “underscored the importance of expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, education, climate change and tourism.”
President Muizzu also held a separate meeting with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad on Wednesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. The two sides discussed “matters of mutual interest, the prevailing regional security situation and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation”, and “both sides underscored the importance of strengthening defence ties, institutional linkages and professional exchanges between Pakistan and the Maldives”. Field Marshal Munir “reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation” and “emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to promoting regional peace, stability and security through constructive engagement”, the ISPR statement said.
Muizzu was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the International Islamic University, Islamabad, in recognition of his leadership and public service, The Express Tribune reported. PM Shehbaz publicly congratulated him on the award during the press stakeout.
The IWT line and the regional frame
PM Shehbaz used the joint press stakeout to reiterate Pakistan’s position on India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, Pakistan Today reported separately on the same day carrying both leaders’ statements. “Pakistan has serious concerns over India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, and we take very serious exception to its unilateral violation of an internationally binding treaty,” the prime minister said, adding that “any violation in this regard will be regarded by Pakistan as an act of war”. The line, which drew on his 25 September UN General Assembly speech on the same point, was made in the bilateral context of Muizzu’s visit rather than as a new development. Muizzu thanked Pakistan for its diplomatic work in the Middle East, commending “Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, including its efforts to promote dialogue, de-escalation, humanitarian assistance and a lasting peace”, The Express Tribune reported. He also commended Pakistan’s support for Palestinian self-determination.
President Muizzu framed the visit as a recognition of the 60th anniversary of Pakistan-Maldives diplomatic relations, established in 1966, and of “60 years of warm friendship between us”. He also raised the prospect of reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): “The Maldives remains firmly committed to playing a constructive and proactive role in revitalising SAARC,” he said, according to the Express Tribune account. His visit ends with the business forum scheduled for 22 October, when his delegation is also due to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and hold further delegation talks.
What is still uncertain
- The full text of the 20 MoUs and their implementing timetables. The two governments released summary lists of sectors, but did not publish the texts. Sector-by-sector implementation will determine whether the $200m trade target is realistic within two years.
- The size of the Maldives’ business delegation and the value of the deals expected at the Maldives-Pakistan Business Forum on 22 October. The forum has not yet met at the time of writing.
- Whether Pakistan-Maldives direct flights announced for discussion on 21 October will materialise, and through which carrier. Direct flights were “discussed” at the talks, Muizzu told the press stakeout, but no launch date or route was given.
- The scope of the AI and data-centre cooperation. PM Shehbaz said Pakistan would share its technical capabilities, but did not specify which Pakistani institutions would be involved or what capacity would be transferred.
