Overview
- Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed arrived on December 26 for a one‑day trip and received full ceremonial honors at Nur Khan Airbase, including a fighter‑jet escort, 21‑gun salute and guard of honour, as Islamabad observed a local holiday.
- Government readouts in Pakistan and the UAE said he held substantive talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif focused on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, technology and people‑to‑people links.
- A subsequent exclusive by News18, citing senior diplomatic sources, described the trip as private with only a brief courtesy interaction at the airbase, no formal talks and no signed MoUs, and noted that President Zardari did not receive the UAE leader.
- The UAE president traveled onward to Rahim Yar Khan for a private stay linked to his traditional Cholistan hunting visit, with heightened local security reported.
- News18’s sources also indicated Pakistan’s army chief could visit the UAE in the coming weeks for further discussions, though no official follow‑up has been announced.