KARACHI, August 24, 2026: President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI and former Provincial Minister for Information Technology Mian Zahid Hussain has said that Pakistan’s exports to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries increased by 2.1 percent during January-July 2026, reaching $1.944 billion, compared with $1.904 billion during the same period last year.
He said the approximately $40 million increase was encouraging, particularly amid uncertainty caused by the US-Iran conflict, and reflected the continued importance of Gulf markets to Pakistan’s external trade.
Mian Zahid Hussain noted that Pakistan’s exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased by 5.9 percent, rising from $1.209 billion to $1.280 billion. The $71.1 million increase in exports to the UAE was equivalent to around 178 percent of Pakistan’s overall net increase in GCC exports.
The UAE accounted for 65.9 percent of Pakistan’s total exports to the GCC, while Saudi Arabia contributed another 20.6 percent. Together, the two markets accounted for 86.5 percent of Pakistan’s exports to the region, compared with approximately 84.3 percent a year earlier.
He said the UAE and Saudi Arabia provided Pakistan with a strong commercial base in the Gulf, but the government and exporters must also focus on expanding market share in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Exports to Saudi Arabia increased modestly by 1.4 percent to $401.1 million, while Kuwait recorded the highest percentage growth among GCC destinations, with exports rising 14.7 percent from $62.7 million to $71.9 million.
Although Kuwait represented only 3.7 percent of Pakistan’s GCC exports, its performance demonstrated the potential for significant growth in smaller Gulf markets through targeted trade promotion, stronger business engagement and identification of new buyers.
Mian Zahid expressed concern over the decline in exports to Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, saying Pakistan’s exports to the four GCC markets other than the UAE and Saudi Arabia had weakened overall. He stressed that Pakistan should not allow political differences to affect commercial relations with the UAE and should continue promoting an environment of trade, cooperation and economic engagement.
He also pointed to considerable volatility in Pakistan’s monthly export performance. Exports reached a seven-month high of $323.2 million in February 2026, before declining to $298 million in March, $241 million in April and $240.7 million in May.
A recovery began in June, when exports rose to $259.5 million, followed by a further increase to $290.3 million in July. July exports were 11.9 percent higher than June and 4.7 percent above July 2025. However, they remained around 10.2 percent below the February peak.
He said the recent recovery was encouraging, but sustained export growth over several consecutive months would be necessary before it could be considered a durable trend.
Mian Zahid Hussain appreciated the efforts of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to strengthen Pakistan’s diplomatic and economic relations with Gulf countries. He said the defence cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, followed by Türkiye’s inclusion, had enhanced Pakistan’s strategic importance and could create new opportunities for economic and commercial cooperation.
He said reports of interest from other countries in joining the arrangement could further strengthen Pakistan’s strategic position. However, he stressed that stronger defence and diplomatic relations should also translate into concrete export orders, business-to-business partnerships, investment and improved market access for Pakistani products.
Mian Zahid Hussain proposed a two-tier export strategy for the GCC. At the first level, Pakistan should consolidate and expand its commercial presence in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. At the second level, dedicated export-recovery strategies should be developed for Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
He said Kuwait, in particular, should be treated as an emerging export market and targeted through trade delegations, buyer-seller meetings and focused promotion of Pakistani products.
He also called for an immediate product-level assessment under relevant HS codes to identify the commodities driving export growth in the UAE and Kuwait and determine the products responsible for declining exports to Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
Mian Zahid Hussain said Pakistan’s GCC export performance remained resilient despite geopolitical uncertainty, but its heavy dependence on the UAE and Saudi Arabia remained a vulnerability.
“Sustainable export growth requires Pakistan to convert the June-July recovery into a consistent upward trend while diversifying its commercial presence across all six GCC markets,” he said.
