UK Minister Stephen Doughty Concludes Pakistan Visit, Vows Stronger Cooperation

LONDON: (News Desk) – UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan Stephen Doughty has concluded his first visit to Pakistan after holding talks with political leaders, education officials and civil society representatives on strengthening bilateral cooperation.

During his visit, Doughty met senior Pakistani leaders to discuss cooperation on shared priorities, including economic growth, trade, regional security, stability in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.

The minister held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar.

Discussions focused on economic growth and trade, regional security, stability in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism cooperation and efforts to reduce the risk of escalation in the region.

Education cooperation was also a key part of the visit, with Doughty meeting representatives of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission, university leaders and the British Council.

The discussions focused on expanding access to UK qualifications in Pakistan and strengthening partnerships between British and Pakistani universities, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, healthcare and technology.

More than 15,000 Pakistani students studied for UK qualifications in Pakistan through transnational education during 2024-25, marking an 83 per cent increase over the past decade.

Pakistan is now the fourth-largest host country globally for UK transnational education, while UK institutions account for around 65 per cent of Pakistan’s transnational education market.

The British Council plans to bring a delegation of UK universities to Pakistan next March to explore further partnerships, with an ambition to see more than 100 British universities working with Pakistani institutions by the end of the decade.

Doughty also met members of civil society and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to human rights and democratic freedoms. He held meetings with politicians from across Pakistan’s political spectrum to discuss the broader UK-Pakistan relationship.

Speaking about his visit, Doughty said the UK and Pakistan shared deep and historic ties built through connections between their people, businesses and institutions.

He said his first visit had focused on strengthening cooperation in areas ranging from economic growth and trade to education, security and regional stability.

Doughty also highlighted the potential for further education cooperation, particularly the growing partnerships between British and Pakistani universities aimed at helping young people develop skills for the future.

The UK and Pakistan also maintain strong people-to-people links, with around 1.7 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the UK. Bilateral trade is worth approximately £5.5 billion annually and continues to grow.