Maldives President Muizzu Accorded Official Welcome at PM House Islamabad, Holds Delegation Talks With Shehbaz Sharif; 20 MoUs Expected

 

ISLAMABAD: Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was accorded an official welcome at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad on Wednesday, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior government officials received him with a guard of honour presented by the Pakistan Army, marking the centrepiece of the first state visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years.

Main News Report

President Muizzu arrived at the Prime Minister's official residence in Islamabad on Wednesday morning for the ceremonial welcome, which included a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the Pakistan Army, according to Maldivian media reports.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally received the visiting dignitary, who was accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers and senior Maldivian officials.

The welcome ceremony was followed by restricted and delegation-level talks between the two leaders. The two sides are expected to sign 20 memorandums of understanding covering diverse areas of bilateral cooperation, after which President Muizzu and Prime Minister Sharif will deliver a joint statement, the Maldives-based Edition reported.

Background Context

• President Muizzu is on a three-day state visit to Pakistan from October 20 to 22 at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
• It is the first visit by a president of the Maldives to Pakistan in 11 years — the previous one was by former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on May 6-7, 2015, at the invitation of then-premier Nawaz Sharif.
• The visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Maldives, which were formally set up on July 26, 1966.
• Upon arrival at Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday, President Muizzu and the First Lady were accorded a 21-gun salute. An advance Maldivian delegation led by Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam arrived earlier the same day.
• According to the Foreign Office, the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and explore avenues for cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, tourism, agriculture, defence, maritime security, climate change and people-to-people exchanges, besides exchanging views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.

Reactions and Statements

President Muizzu took to X after his arrival on Tuesday to thank the government and the "brotherly people" of Pakistan for the warmth of the ceremonial welcome on his first state visit to the country, saying he looked forward to "fruitful engagements that will further deepen our bilateral relations, strengthen our partnership, and advance the shared aspirations of our two nations".

The Foreign Office has described Pakistan-Maldives ties as "warm and fraternal relations rooted in shared faith, mutual respect, longstanding goodwill and close cooperation at regional and international forums", adding that the visit reflects the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthening their bilateral partnership and opening new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Why This News Matters

• Trade, investment, defence and maritime security top the agenda, with the two sides expected to formalise cooperation through the 20 MoUs — a significant expansion of institutional ties between the two countries.
• The visit is being watched across the region: reports suggest the expected agreements include defence and military cooperation, and New Delhi is following the engagements closely amid Muizzu's "Maldives First" foreign policy and India's own recent economic outreach to Male.
• For Pakistan, the visit reinforces its diplomatic engagement with the wider region at a time of heightened geopolitical activity in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
• The visit also carries symbolic weight as the first high-level bilateral engagement between the two countries in over a decade.

Future Developments

The signing of the 20 memorandums of understanding and the joint press statement by the two leaders are expected later on Wednesday, after which details of the agreements will become public.

Later in the visit, President Muizzu is scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, who will host a state banquet in his honour. A Pakistan-Maldives Business Forum, to be addressed by President Muizzu and Maldives Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed, is also on the itinerary, along with a meeting with Maldivian families living in Pakistan.

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