ISLAMABAD: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday separately called on President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to discuss trade and security ties.

During the meeting at the presidency, President Zardari invited Egypt to explore different attractive venues of investment in Pakistan. The president said Pakistan valued its longstanding ties with Egypt, rooted in shared faith and mutual respect, and looked forward to advancing the relationship.

Mr Abdelatty also met Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the two discussed `defence and security cooperation, military exchanges, training collaborations and regional peace and stability`, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.

The FO statement said during his meeting withField Marshal Munir, `both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued high-level engagement between the armed forces of the two countries`.Before meeting the president and the army chief, Mr Abdelatty also met his counterpart Ishaq Dar, and the two addressed a joint press conference.

During the presser, Mr Dar said that he and Abdelatty had a `very, very focused discussion` on how their nations could contribute to elevating the business-to-business upscaling of bilateral activities, which the foreign minister termed as `surely not commensurate`, with around $300 million.

`With the depth and the affection the two countries have, [...] Pakistan will share with Egypt a comprehensive list of 250 Pakistani business houses representing key sectorsof the economy,` he announced.

The FM detailed that the business houses will be chosen from `across the board` and through due consultation.

The list of businesses `representing each sector of the economy` will be initially prepared by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the other chambers of commerce. He asserted there would be a `very transparent selection of those who really deserve it and are willing to work and cooperate, and enhance the business` The businesses, after `due diligence in Egypt` would be declared as the `white list`, he added.

Noting that the foreign ministry was receiving complaints of waiting too long to obtain a business visa `very frequently` the minister said those concerns will `cease at leastro the extentofthese top 250` businesses.

Mr Dar further said that three months after the release of the first list, Islamabad would select another 250 businesses, bringing the total to 500.

He added that the Egyptian FM had also agreed to `process the list and that would again be added to the existing whitelist at that time from 250 to 500` He went on to announce that a Pakistan-Egypt Business Council will be established after that to institutionalise private sector cooperation and to promore mutually beneficial commercial partnership and B2B business promotion between Pakistan and Egypt.

`Once these two steps are done, Pakistan and Egyptian Business Forum will also be established,` he stated, adding that it would be co-chaired by the two foreign ministers.

Its first meeting would be convened in Cairo in the second quarter of 2026, to advance trade, investment and economic collaboration.

Mr Dar also acknowledged with `little embarrassment` that the Pakistan-Egypt Joint Ministerial Commission had not met since 2010, and neither had the two countries held bilateral political consultations.

Therefore, it was decided that the political consultations would be held in the first quarter of 2026, with Egypt nominating an assistant minister to head its delegation, while the Pakistani team would be led by the foreign secretary.

`They will do the entire preparatory work and agenda for the Joint Ministerial Commission meeting, which has not taken place in 15 years, to be held in the second quarter of 2026,` he explained.

Mr Dar noted that the two leaders also assessed the regional developments, with `particular focus on the grave situation in Gaza`. The two ministers also discussedAfghanistan, India-held Kashmir and cooperation at multilateral fora.

The foreign minister said his Egyptian counterpart also announced the doubling of scholarships this year for Pakistani scholars who wish to study at Al Azhar University.

At the outset of his remarks, Mr Abdelatty conveyed Egypt`s condolences over the `tragic loss of lives and injuries` in the recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and Peshawar.

`We stand in full solidarity with Pakistan in the fight against violent extremism and terrorism,` the Egyptian top diplomat affirmed.

The Egyptian FM said, `In the security domain, we have agreed to intensify our coordination to counter cross-border terrorism and extremism.

The two ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, stressing the `importance of peaceful resolution of conflicts, respect for sovereignty, and adherence to the principles of international law and the UN charter`.

The Egyptian FM asserted that the two-state solution was the `only viable path towards genuine and lasting regional stability, which could only be achieved through the creation of a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian state based on the UN pre1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital` `It is within this context we agreed to intensify our coordination and consultations on the Palestinian cause, particularly the situation in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip,` he added, appreciating Pakistan`s `unwavering solidarity and support for Egypt`s efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause`. Mr Abdelatty went on to invite Pakistan to an upcoming conference on the reconstruction of Gaza.