Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation moved to the centre of bilateral discussions on Monday as Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand held a series of high-level meetings in Islamabad, including with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The FM Anita Anand Pakistan visit, her first trip to the country since taking office, was described by both sides as an opportunity to broaden ties that have historically leaned heavily on people-to-people links rather than commerce.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Anand expressed her government’s keen desire to explore new opportunities for Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation, particularly in agriculture, mining, energy, and the auto and auto parts industry. She noted that the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, widely known as FIPPA, would be instrumental in strengthening Canadian investor confidence in Pakistan, and said her visit had come on the instructions of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to expand relations between the two countries.
Ishaq Dar Canada Relations Talks Yield Concrete Outcomes
The Ishaq Dar Canada relations discussions produced several tangible results beyond diplomatic goodwill. Islamabad and Ottawa signed a protocol on phytosanitary import requirements governing the entry of genetically modified canola from Canada into Pakistan for food, feed and processing purposes, a move the Foreign Office said reflected the shared commitment of both countries to strengthening cooperation in agriculture and trade. The protocol was signed jointly by Dar and Anand, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing.
Addressing a joint press briefing, Dar called Anand’s visit an important milestone in Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation and said economic cooperation remained a key priority in the relationship. He said the two sides had discussed ways to expand trade and investment ties, including greater facilitation of business-to-business linkages, and confirmed that Pakistan’s National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority would explore technical cooperation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Dar added that both countries welcomed continued engagement toward an early and mutually beneficial conclusion of the Pakistan-Canada FIPPA agreement.
FM Anita Anand Pakistan Visit Marks Rare Diplomatic Milestone
For her part, Anand noted that it had been approximately twenty years since a Canadian foreign minister last visited Pakistan, and that the two countries were marking around eighty years of diplomatic relations. “We have more work to do together to ensure that across sectors there is a strong bilateral relationship,” she said, framing the visit as a foundation for deeper Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation in the years ahead. Dar, in turn, said Pakistan attached great importance to its relationship with Canada given the country’s large Pakistani diaspora, describing that community as a vital bridge between the two nations.
Delegation-level talks held alongside the ministerial meetings saw both sides agree to hold annual reviews of progress on their joint statement and to exchange delegations focused on trade and minerals cooperation. Dar told the talks that the two countries had significant scope to raise bilateral relations in trade, defence and investment, and said Pakistan hoped Monday’s discussions would translate into concrete outcomes rather than symbolic gestures.
Indus Waters Treaty Dispute Raised Alongside Trade Talks
Even as Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation dominated the agenda, Dar used the visit to raise the Indus Waters Treaty dispute directly with his Canadian counterpart. He said India had added a new and destabilising dynamic to an already volatile security situation by announcing in April 2025 that it would hold the treaty in abeyance, and appealed for support from friendly countries, including Canada, toward its restoration. Dar also referred to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, describing it as one of the longest-outstanding unresolved matters on the United Nations Security Council’s agenda since 1948, and said the two ministers had exchanged views on regional developments including the situation in Afghanistan and counterterrorism cooperation.
Beyond trade and regional security, discussions between Dar and Anand also touched on education, labour mobility, science and technology, climate change and people-to-people exchanges, areas both ministers said they were keen to strengthen further. Dar hosted a banquet lunch in Anand’s honour, attended by senior officials from both governments, before she was expected to call on other members of Pakistan’s leadership later in her one-day visit.
With the phytosanitary protocol signed and both sides committing to annual reviews of their joint statement, officials on both sides characterised Monday’s engagements as a step toward institutionalising Pakistan-Canada trade cooperation rather than treating it as a one-off diplomatic exchange.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 21, 2026
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