From strength to strength: UAE-Pakistan relations over the years
A look at how UAE-Pakistan ties have grown over the years.
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The ties between the UAE and Pakistan are based on a strong common vision and stance, which have helped reinforce their strategic partnership in the areas of politics, the economy and society.
Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, the UAE has been keen to develop its overall relations with Pakistan. Since the era of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, it has provided the Pakistani people with all forms of support, to help them overcome their challenges and achieve overall sustainable development.
Around 1.6 million Pakistanis are working in the UAE in the industrial, agricultural and investment sectors.
The UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE PAP, which was launched in 2011, aims to help the Pakistani people overcome the effects of destructive floods that hit their country in 2010. This project represents progress in supporting the development and stability of Pakistan.
In January 2019, the administration of UAE PAP began implementing 40 development and humanitarian projects in Pakistan, under the framework of the third phase of the project worth Dh736 million, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
The implementation of the project's third phase is in continuation of the projects carried out by UAE PAP. Its first and second phase projects launched in various Pakistani regions from 2011 to 2017 totalled 165 individual projects costing Dh1.545 billion.
The programme's third phase projects comprised five key areas, which are roads and bridges, education, health, water and agriculture. It also aims to provide humanitarian aid, including through the distribution of food aid to poor and needy people and displaced citizens, and the launch of polio vaccination campaigns for children.
In implementation of the directives of The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and monitored by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, a polio eradication campaign carried out by the UAE in Pakistan from 2014 to September 2019 provided 418,956,226 polio vaccinations to over 71 million Pakistani children under the age of five.
The UAE is a key trading partner of Pakistan, and the value of their trade exchange in 2018 amounted to Dh11.8 billion. The UAE has also become the largest investor in Pakistan, where it has invested in the telecom, aviation, banking, real estate, oil and gas sectors.
At the start of 2019, the UAE supported Pakistan's fiscal and monetary system by depositing Dh11 billion ($3 billion) in the State Bank of Pakistan, which helped ensure its liquidity and maintained its foreign currency reserve.
More than 26 Emirati companies are currently operating in Pakistan and there are plans to explore new sectors to further develop the economic, commercial and investment ties between the two countries. The UAE is also calling on Pakistani companies to benefit from its advanced infrastructure and opportunities to reach out to new markets.
Pakistani business leaders were among the first investors in the UAE and there are over 7,000 Pakistani companies registered in the country, including in the sectors of retail, manufacturing, fabric production, food trading, financial services, tourism, hotels, real estate and construction.
The two countries have signed 28 agreements and Memorandums of Understanding, MoU, most notably various agreements on avoiding double taxation, an agreement to promote and protect investments, and several agreements to cooperate in combatting crime and terrorism, as well as many judicial, political, commercial and cultural agreements.
Pakistani exports to the UAE include oil products, food products, vegetables, fruits, fish and their derivatives, synthetic textiles, embroidered fabrics and raw materials for making fabrics, cotton, and fresh and frozen meat. The UAE also exports goods worth billions of dollars to Pakistan, including crude oil, petroleum products, light equipment, heavy equipment, chemicals, dyes, gold, jewellery, and various materials for re-exporting.