ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Poland have committed to finalise concrete initiatives, potential agreements, and showcase projects through high-level engagements. Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on Wednesday held an extensive meeting with Poland’s Ambassador to Pakistan Maciej Pisarski at the Ministry of Commerce, covering a wide spectrum of bilateral initiatives from trade and investment to energy, mining, and agriculture.
The discussions took place against the backdrop of intensified diplomatic activity — including recent engagements with ASEAN ambassadors, ongoing work with Saudi Arabia on a trade enhancement roadmap. Minister Khan lauded the presence of Poland’s leading energy company ORLEN (formerly Polish Oil and Gas Company), describing it as a “success story” that illustrates how persistence and patience leading to substantial returns. Operating in Pakistan for more than 26 years, ORLEN has invested about USD 500 million in exploration and production, mainly in the Sindh–Balochistan belt, and now plans to double its investment over the next decade.
Ambassador Pisarski emphasized that ORLEN’s new exploratory concessions — including Baran and Sirmazarani West adjacent to its current operations in the Kirtan Mountains — are highly promising. The ambassador also raised the pending issues that need to be resolved for furtherance of mutual interests. Minister Khan assured him that Pakistan would facilitate the matter with relevant authorities to safeguard investor confidence and ensure smooth operations. Building on Poland’s transformation of its apple industry into a year-round export success, the two sides discussed replicating that model in Pakistan. Minister Khan invited Polish firms to partner with Pakistani public and private enterprises to establish cold storages, preservation, waxing, grading, and warehousing facilities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. He cited the EDF’s successful solar-powered chili drying project as an example of the fund’s ability to fast-track such.
Ambassador Pisarski welcomed the proposal, noting Poland’s expertise in warehouse technology, phytosanitary measures, and logistics, which could help reduce transportation costs and improve export quality. The minister underscored that Polish know-how, combined with Pakistan’s low-cost raw materials and labor, could unlock significant value for both countries. Minister Khan highlighted Pakistan’s strategic shift towards mineral and mining development alongside hydrocarbons over the next five years, citing vast exploration potential in Balochistan and the country’s growing energy needs. He suggested that Polish firms leverage their global experience in copper, lignite, and downstream processing to invest in Pakistan’s emerging mining sector. Ambassador Pisarski noted that Poland is the fourth-largest producer of lignite and the eighth-largest in copper, and expressed readiness to explore joint ventures. The Polish ambassador also raised cultural initiatives, including a proposal to name a street in Islamabad after Air Commodore Władysław Turovich, a Polish officer who helped establish the Pakistan Air Force in 1948 and later settled in Karachi with his family. Both sides agreed that recognizing this shared history would strengthen people-to-people ties.
The two sides committed to finalize concrete initiatives, potential agreements, and showcase projects through high-level engagements. Minister Khan stressed the importance of moving from ideas to implementation, ensuring that Pakistan’s regulatory and institutional support keeps pace with the investors’ expectations. Concluding the meeting, Federal Minister Jam Kamal Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fostering a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with Poland across multiple sectors. Ambassador Pisarski expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s proactive facilitation of Polish investors and said Warsaw was eager to deepen engagement with Islamabad. “ORLEN’s two-decade journey in Pakistan shows that resilience and partnership pay off. We want more Polish companies to follow this path,” Minister Khan remarked.
