Islamabad: PM Shehbaz Sharif and Kazakh President Tokayev unveil plaques for ‘Dostyq’ Sports Centre and three bilateral academic research centres

ISLAMABAD, February 4, 2026 — Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev today jointly unveiled commemorative plaques marking the establishment of new centres of cooperation in sports and higher education between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.

The ceremony, held at the Prime Minister House, featured the unveiling of two significant plaques:
Pakistan–Kazakhstan Sports Centre “Dostyq”
(“Dostyq” means “friendship” in the Kazakh language)
The centre will be established at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad with the objective of deepening sports collaboration, launching joint training programmes, and promoting talent development among youth athletes of both countries.
Plaque for the establishment of three academic and research centres
The centres will be set up through collaboration between leading universities of the two nations:
Ahmad Yasawi Research Centre — International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
Al-Farabi Centre — Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad
Technical Research Centre (Satbayev Centre) — National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)
These centres are intended to facilitate joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative degree programmes, and capacity building in academic and technical fields.
The event took place during President Tokayev’s two-day state visit to Pakistan, which has resulted in the signing of multiple agreements across sectors and the formal elevation of bilateral ties to the level of Strategic Partnership.