The bilateral relationship between the Kingdom of Norway and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan goes back to the foundation of Pakistan in 1947.
Norway established its first embassy in Islamabad in 1976, preceded by an honorary consulate in Karachi. Today, Norway also maintains an honorary consulate in Lahore.
Since its origins, 75 years ago, the relationship between Norway and Pakistan has developed into an enduring partnership, enriched by people-to-people exchanges, tracing its roots back to the arrival of the first Pakistani immigrants in Norway, in the 1960s. Norway and Pakistan cooperate on a broad range of issues, including energy, climate adaption, green shipping, protection of vulnerable communities and human rights. Norway and Pakistan also maintains a fruitful dialogue on regional and international topics of mutual interest.
Trade between Norway and Pakistan is modest, but on an upwards trajectory. Pakistan exports textiles, leather-goods and agricultural products to Norway. The biggest Norwegian exports to Pakistan are fertilizers, machines, aluminum and iron/steel.
As of yet, Norway and Pakistan have no bilateral trade agreement. However, Norway has accorded Pakistan GSP status (Generalised System of Preferences of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland), meaning that Pakistani goods benefit from a 10-100 per cent tariff reduction when imported into Norway.
Telenor is the largest Norwegian company present in Pakistan. Since its establishment in 2005, the company has invested about USD 3 billion in Pakistan, and currently has some 40 million customers here. Telenor is the second biggest mobile operator in Pakistan.
In 2015, the Norwegian solar power company Scatec Solar signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Pakistani partner, Nizam Energy, stating its willingness to establish a solar power plant in upper Sindh province.
Other Norwegian companies invested in Pakistan are Jotun Paints, The Varner Group, Bokhari (NorPak International) og NorTekstil.
Development assistance
Norwegian bilateral development cooperation with Pakistan started already in 1969, before the establishment of the Norwegian Embassy in Pakistan. Bilateral development assistance in 2022 constituted about NOK 130 million (equivalent to USD 12.5 million), provided through multilateral channels such as the United Nations, and international and local civil society organizations. Total bilateral Norwegian development assistance to Pakistan from 1969 to 2022 amounted to NOK 5.3 billion (equivalent to USD 509 million).[1]
Norway's long-term aid efforts in Pakistan have helped to preserve important cultural heritage sites, promote education, and strengthen the rights of vulnerable groups in Pakistani society. Today, the priority sectors for bilateral aid are education, women’s rights and gender equality, human rights, food security and climate adaptation. Norway also provided humanitarian assistance in response to the devastating floods in 2022.[2]
[1] Bistandsresultater Pakistan (norad.no)
[2] Norway to provide further support for victims of Pakistan flood disaster - regjeringen.no
Consular affairs
Requests for consular assistance to Norwegians in Pakistan have increased. The nature of these requests vary, but they include issues related to passports, Norwegian ID numbers, deaths, emergency assistance, reports of concern and consular advice.
Police cooperation
Over the years, a quite extensive cooperation between the Norwegian and Pakistani police forces have evolved. Cooperation is necessary as crimes committed in one of the two countries often involve the other country, and criminals travel from one country to the other. A police liaison officer at the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad deals with such cases, also serving the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden). Among cases handled recently involving both Norwegian and Pakistani citizens are the so-called Triple Murder Case, the Lime Case (human trafficking, etc.) and Operation Tøyenløftet (drugs trafficking, money laundering, etc.). Other cases often involve child abductions and forced marriages.
In order to enhance the capacity of the Pakistani police, the Norwegian Embassy has provided technical and advisory assistance, notably to the police in the province of Punjab. Norway has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on police and justice cooperation to Pakistan’s authorities.