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 described the move as a significant step towards strengthening ties, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (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 bilateral relations between Pakistan and Canada” as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 welcomed Foreign Minister of Canada HE Anita Anand @AnitaAnandMP on her arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad today.
The two leaders hold in-depth talks… pic.twitter.com/JI4LrfwEdU
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 20, 2026
According to the statement, Anand’s visit is his first to Pakistan since he took office and the first bilateral visit by a Canadian foreign minister in almost 20 years. Terming the visit as “an important milestone in Pakistan-Canada relations”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it underlined “the determination of both sides to further strengthen bilateral engagement”.
He added that the talks focused on strengthening cooperation in a variety of sectors and at the same time provided an opportunity for both countries to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
In an earlier statement, the Foreign Ministry said Anita would also appeal to Pakistan’s leadership. “Anita is also expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The visit underlines both countries’ shared commitment to expanding mutual cooperation,” Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said.
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The GAC noted that “Canada-Pakistan relations are based on extensive people-to-people ties, with more than 300,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin in Canada and approximately 20,000 Canadians in Pakistan.” Furthermore, he noted that in 2025, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Pakistan amounted to approximately $1.2 billion, with $499.7 million (an increase of 65 per cent from 2024) in Canadian exports to Pakistan and $696 million in imports.
In June 2026, Canada hosted the second round of negotiations for a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Pakistan.
Canada pursues a wide range of interests in its bilateral relations with Pakistan, including trade and investment, climate resilience, energy and critical minerals security, people-to-people ties, governance and democracy, human rights, development cooperation, regional security and defence, counter-terrorism and anti-crime capacity building.
