Islamabad (GNP): The Pakistan-Nepal+Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) of the National Assembly, headed by Convener Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, MNA, met with Nepal’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, at Parliament House, Islamabad, to discuss bilateral ties and explore opportunities for deeper parliamentary and people-to-people engagement between the two nations.
The meeting was also attended by PFG members Shahzada Muhammad Gushtasap Khan, Farah Naz Akbar, Shaista Khan, Isphanyar M. Bhandara, Danyal Chaudhary and Dr. Darshan.
In his welcoming remarks, the Convener noted that Pakistan and Nepal share deep cultural, historical and civilizational bonds, underpinned by a long history of cordial relations. He stressed the value of sustained parliamentary engagement in bringing the two legislatures and their peoples closer together and identifying fresh areas for collaboration.
Dr. Malani pointed to substantial untapped potential in trade and investment, education, tourism, culture, youth exchange programs, IT and digital services, and broader people-to-people ties.
Ambassador Dhital thanked the group for the warm reception and echoed the sentiment regarding the friendly nature of Pakistan-Nepal relations.
She underlined the importance of expanding parliamentary exchanges and pointed to existing cooperation between the two countries in education, climate change, tourism, trade and cultural affairs. She also called for greater efforts to improve connectivity and business-to-business engagement.
Both sides discussed ways to increase parliamentary exchanges, including through friendship groups, reciprocal visits and virtual meetings, and explored the considerable room for growth in bilateral trade and business ties. Connectivity emerged as a recurring theme throughout the discussion.
Participants agreed on the need to explore restoring direct air links between Pakistan and Nepal, viewing this as a key step toward boosting religious and adventure tourism, trade, and closer ties between the two peoples.
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They also pointed to the shared Himalayan landscape and mountaineering heritage, along with the religious significance of Buddhist sites in both countries, as areas holding strong potential for future cooperation.
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.
