European states welcome Pakistan’s anti-smuggling crackdown during ministerial debate
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Italian, Spanish and Greek counterparts on the sidelines of the Quadrinational Conference on Illegal Immigration
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned on Friday that 22 terrorist organizations are regrouping in Afghanistan, saying Pakistan currently constitutes “a wall between terrorists and the world”.
The remarks came as Naqvi led the Pakistani delegation to a conference of interior ministers from six countries on illegal immigration and human trafficking held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. He briefed the participants on the developing situation along the Pak-Afghan border and called for enhanced international cooperation to combat transnational threats.
Interior Ministers of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Finnish State Secretary, attended the meeting and praised Pakistan’s efforts against illegal immigration and human trafficking. Participants agreed to develop a coordinated roadmap to discourage illegal immigration while promoting legal migration pathways. They also approved joint measures to combat human trafficking and decided to appoint focal points within their interior ministries to improve coordination.
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In-depth consultations took place on homeland security, counter-terrorism, border management and counter-drug cooperation, with participants emphasizing closer intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies. Naqvi said Pakistan’s crackdown on human trafficking networks had produced encouraging results, saying illegal migration from Pakistan to Europe had declined by 47 percent. He added that Pakistan and European countries could jointly meet the challenge through sustainable cooperation.
Productive meeting in Rome with my counterparts from Italy, Spain and Greece at the four-nation conference on combating illegal immigration.
Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece have agreed on a coordinated strategy against illegal migration, human trafficking and narcotics, including a joint… pic.twitter.com/46ruUqNCyb
–Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) February 26, 2026
Separately, during a visit to Rome, Naqvi met his counterparts from Italy, Spain and Greece on the sidelines of a quadrinational conference on illegal immigration. European ministers welcomed Pakistan’s measures and supported Islamabad’s proposal to block irregular immigration through structured legal channels.
Significantly, both countries agreed that the European Union would strengthen Pakistan’s capacity building efforts and fully support institutions combating illegal immigration. The parties also decided to adopt a comprehensive multi-level strategy against human and drug trafficking, develop a common policy framework and repatriate criminals involved in serious crimes from Europe to Pakistan for prosecution.
The ministers further agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest and establish a rapid response mechanism for coordinated action, while deciding to hold the next meeting in Pakistan later this year.
