The Maldives and Pakistan established diplomatic relations on 26 July 1966, following the Maldives’ independence in 1965. In addition to diplomatic relations, the shared bonds of Islam have also served as a foundation for the relationship between both countries.
Since then, the two countries have cooperated in various fields. Pakistan’s Habib Bank established a presence in the Maldives in 1976, and Pakistan provided technical assistance in drafting the Maldives’ Fourth Constitution. In 1981, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom highlighted Pakistan’s contributions in formulating the fourth Constitution while presenting the draft constitution to the Special Parliament.
Relations between both countries continued to strengthen over the years, and in 1984, President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom visited Pakistan, a visit that helped lay the foundation for even closer bilateral relations. His visit was followed by a visit to the Maldives by then-Pakistani President General Zia-ul-Haq’s visit to the Maldives in 1985, marking the first state visit by a Pakistani head of state to the Maldives.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also played a significant role in strengthening bilateral relations. He first visited the Maldives in 1990 to attend the 5th SAARC Summit. While the Maldives hosted the SAARC summit thrice, Nawaz Sharif attended the summit on Pakistan’s behalf twice: in 1990 and 1997. Then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani represented Pakistan in the 2011 summit.
One of Pakistan’s major contributions to the Maldives is the Parliament building, which was hosted by Pakistan and inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998. He last visited the Maldives in 2017 on a state visit.
President Maumoon also attended the fourth and 12th SAARC summits, held in Pakistan in 1988 and 2004, respectively.
In 2004, Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also visited the Maldives. Following the Indian Ocean tsunami that year, Pakistani military ships were deployed to assist tourists affected by the disaster in the Maldives, another symbol of the close ties between the two countries.
Following President Maumoon, the next Maldivian President to visit Pakistan was former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom in 2015.
The Maldives and Pakistan marked 60 years of diplomatic relations this year. President Mohamed Muizzu’s visit to Pakistan to coincide with the anniversary, the first high-level visit between the countries in a decade, is an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties further.