Pak UK Relations

Pakistan and the UK maintain cordial relations rooted in history and shared legacy, which are reinforced by regular high-level visits and strong people-to-people contacts. The UK is Pakistan’s largest European trading, investment, and development partner. It is also one of Pakistan’s leading development assistance partners. The UK has one of the largest Pakistani diaspora in Europe, estimated at over 1.6 million.

High-level interactions

Prime Minister Imran Khan met with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September 2019 on the side-lines of the 74th UNGA Session in New York. Other recent high-level interactions between the two countries are given below:

Recent high-level visits from the UK to Pakistan include:

• Visit of the Royal Couple, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to Pakistan in October 2019.
• Visit of the UK’s Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon to Pakistan in June 2021.
• Visit of Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to Pakistan from 2nd to 3rd September 2021 as part of his wider visit of the region following the takeover of Kabul by Taliban.

Recent high-level visits from Pakistan to the UK include:

• Visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to the UK from 26-29 September 2021.
• Visit of the Governor Punjab Chuadhry Muhammad Sarwar to the UK from 26 November-1 December 2021.
• Visit of Malik Amin Aslam, SAPM on Climate Change to the UK in November 2021 to attend the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.
• Visit of Governor State Bank of Pakistan from 19-23 October 2021.
• Visit of Federal Minister for Education, Professional Training, National Heritage & Culture, Mr. Shafqat Mahmood, to the UK in July 2021 for attending the Global Education Summit.
• Visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the UK for the review of Enhanced Strategic Dialogue in June 2019.

Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD)

The institutional mechanism of the “Enhanced Strategic Dialogue” was established in 2011. So far four rounds of the ESD have been held. The 5th ESD review is due to be held on mutually agreed dates in Islamabad.

Trade Relations

The UK continues to provide Pakistan’s exports access to its market at zero tariff under its own GSP Preferences Scheme. Total bilateral trade increased from US$2.122 billion in 2019-20 to US$2.648 in 2020-21, registering a growth of around 25%. Our exports to the UK during the same period rose by 33%, rising from US$1.522 billion in 2019-20 to US$2.025 billion in 2020-21, while our imports rose by 4% from US$600 million to US$623 million.