Pakistan–Philippines relations

Pakistan-Philippines relations

Pakistan	Philippines

Pakistan–Philippines relations refers to bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Philippines. Pakistan has an embassy in Manila, and the Philippines has an embassy in Islamabad.

Trade links

Bilateral trade between the two countries in 2006 was around US$70 million. With Philippine imports from Pakistan worth more than US$42.3 million, mostly including garments and pharmaceutical drugs. Philippine exports to Pakistan are valued at about US$28.8 million in 2006. Pakistan-Philippines Business Council was created to promote trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.

Migration

There are around 3,000 Filipinos working as domestic helpers in Pakistan. Around 60 religious students from Mindanao also study at various Islamic seminary of Pakistan. In 2005, up to 1,000 Pakistanis also lived in the Philippines.

There is also a large expatriate population of both overseas Filipino and overseas Pakistanis in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. And as such there is a significant social contact between the Pakistani and Filipino people in Middle Eastern countries.

Defense cooperation

Pakistan is fighting a guerrilla war against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and so is the Philippines fighting an insurgency war against MILF, both the countries therefore face a common terrorism threat. Pakistan and the Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding serving as a "legal framework to facilitate cooperation and inter-operability between the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the two countries".

Bilateral visit

In 2005, then-President Pervez Musharraf was the first Pakistani head of state officially to visit the Philippines, hosted by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Helicopter crash in Pakistan

On 8 May 2015, the Philippine Ambassador Domingo Lucenario, Jr. was killed in an Helicopter crash.

See also

• Filipinos in Pakistan
• Queneerich Rehman - Notable Pakistani-Filipino.