ISLAMABAD (GNP): Stephen Doughty, the UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, has completed his first trip to Pakistan since taking up the post. The visit was aimed at deepening cooperation on economic growth, trade, education, security and regional stability, with migration also on the agenda.
Doughty met senior Pakistani figures to discuss how the two countries can work together on shared priorities, including growth and trade, regional security, Afghanistan’s stability and counter-terrorism. He held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Law, Justice and Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. Their discussions also covered ways to reduce the risk of escalation in the region. He additionally met politicians from across the political spectrum to talk about UK-Pakistan relations.
Doughty joined British and Pakistani education leaders to consider the next stage of university cooperation, including wider access to UK qualifications and new links in STEM, healthcare and technology. He took part in discussions with the Higher Education Commission, university heads and the British Council on the future of transnational education (TNE) and on strengthening ties between institutions.
Figures released with the visit show that over 15,000 Pakistani students earned UK qualifications without leaving Pakistan through TNE in 2024-25, an 83% rise over ten years. Pakistan now ranks fourth worldwide as a host country for UK TNE, with UK institutions holding roughly 65% of its TNE market.
The British Council intends to bring a delegation of UK universities to Pakistan next March to look at further links. Its goal is for more than 100 British universities to be partnering with Pakistani institutions by the end of the decade.
The minister also met civil society representatives and restated the UK’s commitment to human rights and democratic freedoms.
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Doughty described the two countries as having deep, historic ties rooted in connections between their people, businesses and institutions. He said his first visit centred on strengthening that relationship and on joint work that benefits people in both countries, from growth and trade to education, security and regional stability. He added that he had seen great scope for more cooperation in education, noting the rapid growth in partnerships between British and Pakistani universities and their role in helping young people gain future skills.
Around 1.7 million people of Pakistani heritage live in the UK, and bilateral trade is worth about £5.5 billion a year and rising.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
