Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Islamabad for high-level talks. PHOTO: X
Pakistan and Canada held high-level talks in Islamabad on Monday as Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand made the first bilateral visit to Pakistan by a Canadian foreign minister in nearly two decades. Both sides desrcribed the move as a significant step towards strengthening ties, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Office (MoFA).
The statement stated that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed his Canadian counterpart at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the two leaders held talks on the “full spectrum of Pakistan-Canada bilateral relations,” as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 welcomed Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Anita Anand @AnitaAnandMP, upon her arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad today.
The two leaders are holding talks on the full… pic.twitter.com/JI4LrfwEdU
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 20, 2026
According to the statement, Anand’s visit is her first to Pakistan since assuming office and the first bilateral visit by a Canadian foreign minister in almost 20 years. Calling the visit “an important milestone in Pakistan-Canada relations,” MoFA said it underscored “the resolve of both sides to further strengthen bilateral engagement”.
It added that the talks focused on strengthening cooperation across a range of sectors while providing an opportunity for both countries to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
In an earlier statement, MoFA said Anita would also call on Pakistan’s leadership. “Anita is also expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The visit underscores the shared commitment of both countries to expand mutual cooperation,” said Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
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GAC noted that “Canada-Pakistan relations are underpinned by extensive people-to-people ties, with more than 300,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin in Canada and approximately 20,000 Canadians in Pakistan.” Further, it noted that in 2025, Canada-Pakistan bilateral merchandise trade totalled approximately $1.2 billion, with $499.7 million – up 65 per cent since 2024 – in Canadian exports to Pakistan and $696 million in imports.
In June 2026, Canada hosted the second round of negotiations toward a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Pakistan.
Canada pursues a broad range of interests in its bilateral relations with Pakistan, including in trade and investment, climate resilience, energy security and critical minerals, people-to-people ties, governance and democracy, human rights, development cooperation, regional security and defence, counter-terrorism and anti-crime capacity building.
