Islamabad, August 4, 2026 (Ghufran): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, held a meeting with the Ambassador of Spain to Pakistan, Carlos Aragon, in Islamabad to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in higher education, agriculture, sports, and human development Welcoming the Spanish Ambassador, the minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding collaboration with Spain in areas of mutual interest and emphasized the importance of deepening ties through academic, economic, and cultural partnerships.

Professor Ahsan Iqbal highlighted Pakistan’s growing engagement with leading international universities and informed the ambassador that a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been shared to establish academic cooperation between the University of Narowal and the University of Granada. He expressed confidence that the partnership would promote faculty and student exchanges, joint research initiatives, and academic collaboration. The minister also noted that the architecture of the University of Narowal is inspired by Al-Andalus and Granada, reflecting the shared cultural heritage of the two countries. During the meeting, the minister invited Ambassador Carlos Aragon to visit Kartarpur Sahib, describing it as one of the holiest sites for the Sikh community and a symbol of Pakistan’s commitment to promoting interfaith harmony and religious tourism.

Highlighting Pakistan’s agricultural potential, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said the country is emerging as a producer of high-quality olives and invited Spanish cooperation in olive cultivation, agribusiness, value addition, and agricultural technology, particularly in Balochistan, the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Potohar region. He stressed that expanding domestic olive production would help reduce Pakistan’s dependence on imported palm oil. Referring to his participation in the International Conference on Early Childhood Development held in Spain, the minister said Pakistan is keen to host the next edition of the conference in collaboration with Spain and UNICEF. He also extended an invitation to Her Majesty the Queen of Spain to attend the event. The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening Pakistan-Spain relations through enhanced cooperation in education, agriculture, sustainable development, and people-to-people exchanges.