Pakistan to share list of 250 business houses with Egypt to expand trade, B2B cooperation

Pakistan will share a list of 250 leading Pakistani business houses with Egypt to strengthen bilateral commercial engagement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Sunday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, Dar said both sides held focused discussions on expanding business-to-business linkages. He noted that current bilateral trade stands at around $300 million.

Dar said the initial list of 250 firms will be prepared by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in consultation with chambers across the country. The selected companies will represent key economic sectors and be placed on a “white list” in Egypt to resolve long-standing delays in business visa processing.

He added that a second batch of 250 firms will be finalised after three months, taking the total to 500. Once the lists are completed, both sides will establish a Pakistan–Egypt Business Council to institutionalise private-sector engagement, with its first meeting to be held in Cairo in the second quarter of 2026. A Pakistan–Egypt Business Forum co-chaired by the two foreign ministers will also be created to boost trade and investment cooperation.

Dar acknowledged that the Joint Ministerial Commission between the two countries has not met since 2010. He said senior officials will resume bilateral political consultations in early 2026 to prepare an agenda for the next JMC session.

Foreign Minister Abdelatty said Pakistan was his second home country and expressed solidarity with Pakistan over recent terrorist attacks. He underlined Egypt’s interest in sharing expertise and best practices with Islamabad in political, economic and security spheres.

He said Egypt is ready to revive institutional mechanisms of dialogue, particularly the Joint Ministerial Committee, and to develop a cooperation roadmap covering trade, investment, security, religious and cultural domains. He added that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has directed him to enhance bilateral cooperation.