ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Malaysia have agreed to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, human trafficking, illegal immigration, and cybercrime, and have decided to establish a Joint Working Group between their interior ministries.
The agreement was reached during talks between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Malaysian Home Minister Dato’ Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is visiting Islamabad.
The two ministers held a one-on-one meeting before leading delegation-level talks at Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior.
Focus On Security Cooperation
The two sides agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing to combat terrorism and drug trafficking and develop a joint strategy against terrorism, narcotics trafficking and human smuggling.
The talks also covered greater cooperation between Pakistan’s National Police Academy and the Royal Malaysian Police College, as well as collaboration on training programmes and in the coast guard sector.
Naqvi said Pakistan wanted to benefit from Malaysia’s experience in the coast guard sector and expressed hope that the visit would help take bilateral relations to the “next level”.
“Malaysia is one of the fastest-developing Muslim countries,” he said, stressing the importance of expanding cooperation between the two countries.
Tourism And Visa Facilitation
The ministers also discussed measures to promote tourism and facilitate visa procedures between Pakistan and Malaysia.
Naqvi described Malaysia as an excellent tourism destination for Pakistanis and expressed hope that an increase in the work quota for Pakistani citizens would allow more people to travel to Malaysia through legal channels.
The two sides also agreed that a high-level Pakistani delegation would visit Malaysia soon to advance the understandings reached during the talks.
Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, particularly cooperation between their respective interior ministries.
Senior Pakistani officials, including Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, the federal interior secretary, the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency, the inspector general of the Federal Constabulary, the National Coordinator of NACTA, the director general of passports, and senior Islamabad administration officials, also attended the meeting.
