Pakistan and UK agree to widen security, cybercrime and immigration cooperation
Pakistan and the United Kingdom agreed on Friday to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics, cybercrime and immigration. The understanding was reached at a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and UK security minister Dan Jarvis in Islamabad.
- Pakistan and the UK agreed to expand cooperation on counter-terrorism, narcotics, cybercrime, immigration, coast guards and training.
- An MoU on anti-narcotics cooperation is to be finalised soon.
- Mohsin Naqvi said 330 cases of drugs being smuggled to the UK had been thwarted.
- A working group of the two interior ministries is to meet soon.
Pakistan and the United Kingdom have agreed to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics efforts, cybercrime, immigration, coast guard operations and training programmes, according to a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Interior issued on Friday.
The understanding was reached when UK Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad. The two sides also held delegation-level talks. According to 24NewsHD, Jarvis also held talks with Minister of State Talal Chaudhry. British High Commissioner Jane Marriott and officials from Pakistani security and government institutions attended the meeting, Geo News reported.
Jarvis acknowledged Pakistan's sacrifices and efforts in the fight against terrorism. He also praised the Federal Investigation Agency for its performance in curbing illegal immigration, and said the two countries already had strong cooperation in various fields and wanted to expand it further.
On cybercrime, Jarvis said: "Cybercrime is an international issue, and all countries must work together to effectively address it", as quoted by Geo News.
The two sides agreed to finalise a memorandum of understanding on anti-narcotics cooperation soon. Geo News reported that the MoU would make cooperation between the UK's National Crime Agency and Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force fully operational. 24NewsHD quoted Naqvi as saying this collaboration would be fully operationalised in a few years.
Naqvi said 330 cases involving drugs being smuggled to the UK had been thwarted over the past few years.
The two sides also agreed to convene soon a meeting of the working group set up between the interior ministries of the two countries. Naqvi praised progress under the upskill project, saying it was helping build the capacity of Pakistani institutions.
Why it matters
The agreed work on immigration and cybercrime bears on Pakistanis who travel, study or apply for visas to the UK. Jarvis's praise for the FIA's work against illegal immigration points to continued joint effort on that issue. The planned anti-narcotics MoU would formalise cooperation between the two countries' drug enforcement agencies.
