Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar received President Tokayev at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Base.
Authorities presented a 21-gun salute in his honour, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the visiting leader in a post on X.
He said the visit would advance a long-standing partnership between the two countries.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also welcomed President Tokayev at the airport.
He said the visit would help deepen friendship and bilateral cooperation.
President Tokayev arrived with a high-level delegation, including senior cabinet members.
Official footage showed Islamabad streets decorated with Kazakhstan’s national flag.
The Foreign Office said President Tokayev will meet President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz.
He will also address the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum.
Officials said the visit will allow both sides to review bilateral relations in detail.
They will discuss cooperation in trade, logistics, regional connectivity and people-to-people links.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan maintain friendly diplomatic ties.
Kazakhstan remains Pakistan’s largest export destination in Central Asia.
The visit aims to open new avenues of cooperation at regional and international forums.
Earlier, the President’s Secretariat said President Zardari will confer the Nishan-i-Pakistan on the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek president is expected to visit Pakistan later this month.
Officials see the visit as mutually beneficial.
Pakistan seeks to position itself as a land bridge between Central and South Asia.
Kazakhstan aims to diversify trade amid regional uncertainty after the Russia-Ukraine war.
Kazakh Minister for Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek is already visiting Pakistan.
On Monday, both sides signed eight memoranda of understanding on higher education cooperation.
The agreements focus on joint research, academic programmes, and student and faculty exchanges.
Kazakhstan education centres were also inaugurated at three public universities in Islamabad.
Last September, both countries signed an Action Plan of Cooperation during a visit by Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister.