Date: Thursday, 4 September 2025
Venue: Parliament House, Islamabad

The Pakistan–Thailand Parliamentary Friendship Group held its meeting today at the Parliament House, Islamabad. The session was chaired by the Group’s Deputy Convener and Member of the National Assembly, Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani. The Ambassador of Thailand to Pakistan, H.E. Rongvudhhi Virabutr, attended the meeting as a special guest.

The meeting was well attended by members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group, including Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel, Ms. Tehmina Daultana, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Ms. Saba Talpur, Malik Anwar Taj, Mir Usman Badini, Ms. Saba Sadiq, Muhammad Muqaddad Ali Khan, Ms. Shaista Khan, Salahuddin Junejo, and Ammar Ahmed Khan Leghari. CEO of Dream Sports Group, Mr. Mubashir Rafiq Sanjrani, also participated in the session.

In his opening remarks, Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani highlighted that activating the Pakistan–Thailand Parliamentary Friendship Group under the leadership of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is a significant step towards strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and bilateral relations between the two countries. He referred to the Gandhara civilization as a historic bond linking Pakistan and Thailand, while underscoring Pakistan’s desire for closer cooperation in education, trade, tourism, information technology, and skilled workforce development. He also proposed the establishment of a similar Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Thai Parliament to further enhance people-to-people ties.

Ambassador Virabutr appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to expanding bilateral relations and expressed Thailand’s keen interest in doubling trade, promoting tourism and cultural exchanges, and expanding business partnerships. He emphasized the importance of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in boosting trade, noting that fisheries, sports goods, and auto parts are traditional sectors of cooperation, while new opportunities lie in the services sector and the halal food industry.

The discussion also focused on increasing the number of direct flights, simplifying visa procedures, and improving the overall business environment.

At the conclusion of the meeting, members of the Pakistan–Thailand Parliamentary Friendship Group reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen bilateral ties through parliamentary engagement and practical cooperation. They expressed confidence that sustained parliamentary exchanges will bring the peoples of both nations closer together and reinforce their long-standing partnership.