President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed have returned to Malé after completing their state visit to Pakistan.
The visit, from 20 to 22 October 2026, was at the invitation of Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. It coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
During the trip, President Muizzu held talks with Prime Minister Sharif and met President Asif Ali Zardari. He also met other senior officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Chief of Army Staff, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Chairman of the Senate.
The two sides exchanged 20 Memoranda of Understanding covering trade, healthcare, education, defence, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, technology and transport. They agreed to increase bilateral trade to USD 200 million within two years, up from about USD 13 million.
Pakistan announced support for the Maldives' five-million-tree initiative with 100,000 olive cuttings and 100,000 seeds of various plants.
President Muizzu described the visit as successful and said it opened a new chapter in relations. He invited Prime Minister Sharif to visit the Maldives.
Chief Spokesperson Hussain Shareef highlighted access to Pakistan's consumer market as a key outcome that opened new avenues for economic cooperation.
The visit was the first high-level engagement of its kind in a decade. The last Maldivian presidential visit to Pakistan was in 2015.
