Overview
- Governor Zoir Mirzaev led a delegation to Lahore on March 11 and, in meetings with Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, agreed in principle to designate Punjab and Tashkent as sister provinces and to form a committee for practical cooperation.
- Talks prioritized collaboration in tourism, agriculture, livestock and meat processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, logistics, beverages and citrus, with a proposal to develop a Babur Park in Lahore also discussed.
- Uzbekistan is now Pakistan’s largest Central Asian trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $400 million in 2024 and reaching $253.7 million in the first half of 2025, a 123% year-on-year increase.
- Facilitation measures include PTA negotiations to expand covered goods from 17 to 100, the opening of Uzbekistan–Pakistan trade houses in Lahore and Karachi, and banking talks to establish settlement mechanisms for bilateral trade.
- Connectivity efforts highlighted direct flight expansions to Lahore and planned routes to Karachi, Uzbekistan’s intention to use Karachi and Gwadar ports for global access, and an Intergovernmental Commission meeting expected later this year.