Pakistan and Italy on Friday agreed to finalise a formal deal to jointly counter human trafficking and illegal migration, reported state-run Radio Pakistan.

The development came about in a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Italian Ambassador Marilina Armellin, after which the former ordered the authorities concerned to finalise the agreement at the earliest.

Radio Pakistan reported that both parties agreed on adopting a common policy to stop illegal migrants from Pakistan from entering Italy.

“The agreement to stop human trafficking in both countries will be finalised soon,” the interior minister was quoted as saying.

Naqvi informed the ambassador that a comprehensive crackdown was underway against human traffickers, with the government adopting a “zero-tolerance policy”.

He emphasised that those involved in human trafficking would not only face imprisonment but also financial penalties.

“Only skilled manpower from Pakistan will be sent to Italy by legal means,” he said.

Ambassador Armellin appreciated the steps taken by Pakistan to counter human trafficking and assured the interior minister of Italy’s full cooperation.

Granting Milan and Islamabad the status of sister cities was also discussed in the meeting, alongside promoting bilateral relations and other pertinent issues.

Italy is one of the main landing points for migrants trying to enter Europe by sea, with many seeking to travel on to richer northern European nations. But to do so, they must brave the world’s most dangerous migration route.

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Last February, 59 people, including some children, were killed when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants crashed against rocks on the southern Italian coast. The Foreign Office had confirmed that two Pakistanis had died in the incident.

The vessel had set sail from Turkiye with migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries and crashed in stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.

A senior official at the Pakistani embassy in Italy had met 16 Pakistani survivors of the ill-fated vessel, while four were missing.