Pakistan-Maldives defence cooperation was the central theme of a meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday between Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and visiting Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. According to state-run Radio Pakistan, both sides underscored the importance of strengthening defence cooperation, institutional linkages and professional exchanges.
A First Visit in 11 Years
President Muizzu arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Dawn reported. The visit is the first by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were established in 1966. Dawn noted that the last such visit was a two-day trip by then Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in May 2015.
What Field Marshal Asim Munir and the President Discussed
Field Marshal Asim Munir called on the Maldivian president, and the two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, the prevailing regional security environment and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, according to Radio Pakistan and the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), as reported by Samaa. The field marshal highlighted the longstanding and cordial relations between the two countries and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting regional security, peace and stability through constructive engagement. President Muizzu commended the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and appreciated the country’s continued efforts to promote stability in the region.
The reports reviewed do not describe any specific new defence arrangement arising from the meeting. Their emphasis was on institutional linkages and professional exchanges, a formulation that points to training, contacts and staff-level engagement rather than equipment or deployments.
Pakistan-Maldives Defence Cooperation Within the 20 MoUs
The meeting followed the signing of 20 memorandums of understanding at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Muizzu. Dawn reported that the documents cover defence, information technology, cybersecurity, health, education, social protection, agriculture and tourism, among other sectors. Among them are memorandums on strengthening defence ties and on maritime security cooperation. Others deal with combating illicit trafficking and drug abuse, the recruitment of health professionals, fisheries, air connectivity, and technical and vocational education.
Several agreements link institutions directly. They include arrangements between the National College of Policy and Law Enforcement of the Maldives Police Service and Pakistan’s National Police Academy, and between the Civil Service Commission of Maldives and both the Federal Public Service Commission and the Civil Service Academy of Pakistan. Details of the defence and maritime security texts were not given in the reports reviewed.
Economic and Training Ties Alongside Security
Prime Minister Shehbaz said talks had covered economic and trade relations, strategic defence cooperation and the training of Maldivians in Pakistan in fields such as policing, defence, education and health. He announced that both sides had agreed to raise bilateral trade from $13.9 million to $200 million within two years, a target that President Muizzu endorsed. He added that a large number of Maldivian students study in Pakistani institutions and that 250 Pakistani doctors and paramedics serve in the Maldives.
President Muizzu said the discussions spanned trade and investment, health and education, environment, fisheries and agriculture, policing and defence, and tourism. He stressed that agreements are meaningful only when they produce results and said the next step is to turn the understandings into tangible benefits for both peoples.
Wider Diplomatic Engagement
The visit included a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, followed by a state banquet that Field Marshal Munir attended, along with the prime minister and the service chiefs, according to Dawn. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also met the Maldivian president. Maldivian Defence Minister Hassan Rasheed was among the officials accompanying President Muizzu.
The meeting also followed an earlier contact. Last month, the Maldives’ parliamentary speaker Abdul Raheem Abdullah met Field Marshal Munir in Rawalpindi, as Dawn noted.
What to Watch
Much now depends on implementation. Prime Minister Shehbaz said he would work personally to turn the signed memorandums into action, and a Pakistan-Maldives business forum was scheduled for Thursday. Whether Pakistan-Maldives defence cooperation moves beyond the language of exchanges and institutional links will depend on the follow-up arrangements that the two governments announce in the coming months.
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