Overview
- On a four-day official trip, President Asif Ali Zardari paid respects at major shrines in Baghdad and prayed for unity across the Muslim world.
- He met Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani following an official welcome and guard of honour at Baghdad Palace.
- Both governments reaffirmed plans to deepen coordination against extremism, terrorism and narcotics trafficking with continued engagement at regional and multilateral forums.
- Pakistan urged steps to lift modest trade volumes, proposing direct banking channels, reciprocal business delegations and sectoral links in IT, agriculture, construction, pharmaceuticals and defence production.
- Islamabad offered skilled manpower and digital-governance expertise for Iraq’s reconstruction, as talks advanced on a Zaireen Management MoU to streamline pilgrim travel and curb illegal overstays for the 200,000–300,000 Pakistanis visiting annually.