• Pledge criminal swap pact, sign MoU on curbing organised crime, seek early implementation of readmission agreement
• Russian interior minister discusses trade, investment, defence with PM Shehbaz, CDF Munir
• Both sides agree to boost intelligence, cybercrime and anti-narcotics cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia agreed on Wednesday to finalise an extradition treaty and an agreement on the exchange of criminals, while holding high-level talks to expand bilateral trade, economic and defence cooperation during the first-ever visit by a Russian interior minister to Islamabad.

The law enforcement understandings were reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who arrived Monday on a four-day visit.

Following delegation-level talks, the two sides pledged to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in preventing organised crime and exchanging information, an accord witnessed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Mr Naqvi said the proposed memorandum on preventing organised crime would be an important milestone in cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides also decided to ensure the early implementation of a readmission agreement and agreed to enhance cooperation between Pakis­tan’s Anti-Narcotics Force and relevant Russian institutions, as well as between the National Police Academy and the Russian Police Academy, to prevent cybercrime.

Mr Kolokoltsev said joint measures were essential for the prevention of all organised crime, including terrorism, drug smuggling and illegal migration, noting that Russia had brought a 33 per cent reduction in cybercrime through effective measures.

They also discussed sending skilled manpower from Pakistan to Russia, easing the visa regime for tourists and the business community to increase people-to-people contact, and increasing the number of Pakistani students in Russia beyond the current 1,300.

Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry and the Russian ambassador in Pak­istan also attended the meeting.

Separately, Mr Kolokoltsev met with PM Shehbaz on Wednesday, highlighting the “significant potential for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation” betw­e­­en the two countries, according to a statement issued by the PM Office.

Mr Kolokoltsev conveyed Rus­sia’s readiness to further enhance bilateral engagement and appreciated Pakistan’s support at various multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.

PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakis­tan’s commitment to further deepening its friendly relations with Russia and making “effective use of existing bilateral mechanisms to adv­ance mutually beneficial cooperation”, the statement said.

“He underscored the need to expand cooperation across areas of mutual interest, particularly trade and investment, energy and economic development.”

In Rawalpindi, Kolokoltsev cal­led on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquar­ters to bolster defence cooperation.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, both sides discussed the regional security landscape and “underscored the importance of closer institutional linkages and improved coordination between the security institutions of Pakistan and Russia.”

CDF Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to “deepen its longstanding relations with Russia and expand tangible cooperation in areas of shared interest, particularly in the security domain”, while Mr Kolo­ko­ltsev acknowledged the professionalism and sacrifices of Pakistani forces in fighting terrorism.

Mr Kolokoltsev also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where they discussed avenues for enhancing cooperation in trade, investment,

culture, tourism and multilateral forums, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026