VIENNA, Austria: Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Saturday that the country’s strategy to combat illegal migration had become a model for the international community, as he called for greater global cooperation to tackle migrant smuggling.
Speaking at a high-level meeting of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling in Vienna, Chaudhry said illegal migration was not merely a cross-border issue but a global challenge requiring a coordinated international response.
He said promoting safe, orderly and legal migration remained essential to effectively addressing irregular migration.
“Illegal migration is not merely a cross-border issue but a global challenge that requires a coordinated international response,” the minister said.
During the meeting, the European Union commended Pakistan’s measures to curb illegal migration. Participants praised the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for its efforts to combat human smuggling.
The EU acknowledged Pakistan’s progress in tackling irregular migration and recognised the FIA’s operational measures against organised smuggling networks.
The recognition comes amid international efforts to strengthen cooperation against transnational organised crime and disrupt criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling.
Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on human smuggling following deadly incidents involving Pakistani migrants attempting to reach Europe through irregular routes.
Last month, authorities reported a 47 percent decline in illegal migration attempts by Pakistani nationals to Europe during the previous year.
The FIA arrested around 1,770 human smugglers during 2025, while increasing field interceptions from 628 cases to 2,662 over the same period.
The European Union has described Pakistan’s structural response as “exemplary” and committed additional bilateral funding to expand regional interception protocols.
The FIA introduced wide-ranging institutional reforms under the National Action Plan to Counter the Smuggling of Migrants (2026–2030).
The plan includes strengthened border management, tighter exit controls and enhanced law enforcement coordination to dismantle migrant smuggling networks.
The FIA has also deployed Second Line Control systems and artificial intelligence-backed biometric profiling at major international airports.
Addressing delegates in Vienna, Chaudhry stressed that no country could tackle illegal migration alone and called for stronger international collaboration to address the root causes of irregular migration while promoting safe and lawful migration pathways.
He said coordinated global efforts remained essential to dismantle migrant smuggling networks and protect vulnerable people from exploitation by organised criminal groups.
