New Zealand and Pakistan

2007 saw the continuation of New Zealand’s increasing engagement with Pakistan. The security situation in South Asia is better than it has been for a number of years, most notably between the two nuclear powers India and Pakistan, although Pakistan has been grappling with the presence of Islamic extremists.

The visit to New Zealand in June 2005 by Pakistan’s President, Pervez Musharraf, raised the profile of the bilateral relationship. It highlighted areas such as education, information and communication technologies (ICT), agriculture and dairy with potential for both government and business to build closer links. New Zealand concerns on democratic reforms, human rights and freedom of expression were registered during President Musharraf’s visit and Pakistan was encouraged to continue down the path of democratic reform.

For more information, please see the Pakistan information paper.