Pakistan lauded for 47% drop in illegal migration

Pakistan's efforts to curb illegal immigration and dismantle human smuggling networks received international recognition as Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi led the country's delegation at a six-nation interior ministers' conference in Warsaw.

The participants praised Islamabad for achieving a 47 per cent reduction in illegal migration to Europe.

The conference, held in the Polish capital on Friday, brought together interior ministers from Pakistan, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Lithuania to deliberate on illegal immigration and broader security cooperation.

The six interior ministers highly appreciated Pakistan's effective measures to curb illegal immigration and human smuggling and agreed to formulate a coordinated roadmap to discourage illegal immigration and promote legal migration channels.

The meeting was attended by Poland’s Marcin Kierwiński, Estonia’s Igor Taro, Latvia’s Richards Kozlovskis, Finland’s Heikki Tamminen and Lithuania’s Gintaras Aliksandravičius, who represented their respective governments.

Participants agreed on joint measures and enhanced coordination to counter illegal immigration. All countries decided to appoint a focal person within their respective ministries of interior to strengthen communication and coordination mechanisms.

The six countries also agreed to provide official-level employment opportunities for Pakistan as part of efforts to promote legal migration pathways.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the conference that Pakistan is implementing "a comprehensive strategy against human smuggling and illegal immigration" and that the ongoing crackdown against trafficking networks has produced "encouraging results".