• Joint working group to be set up to strengthen cooperation between interior ministries
• PM reaffirms commitment to deepen bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: Interior Mi­­nister of Turkiye Ali Yerlikaya has said that Pakistan’s security was not separate from that of his country.

The statement highlighting the deep-rooted relationship between the two countries were made during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart here on Thursday. The rem­arks came amid high-stakes peace talks in Istanbul, where Pakistan warned that failure could lead to open conflict.

Backed by Turkiye and Qatar, Pakistan is pushing for a verifiable mechanism to curb cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan.

The two ministers held a one-to-one meeting, followed by delegation-level talks. During discussions, both sides held detailed consultations on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, human trafficking, border security, cybercrime, coast guard operations, and police cooperation.

The two sides agreed to establish a joint working group to further strengthen cooperation between interior ministries of both countries.

The working group will meet four times a year and the ministers of the two countries decided to enhance collaboration in counterterrorism.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya praised Pakistan’s active role in counterterrorism and counter-narcotics efforts.

The meeting also resulted in an agreement to enhance further cooperation in eliminating illegal immigration and human rafficking.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasised that “human trafficking and illegal immigration are global issues that require joint efforts for elimination”.

Pakistan announced its full support for Türkiye in the upcoming Interpol elections. Both sides also agreed to strengthen collaboration in counter-narcotics sector.

Mr Naqvi noted that “despite limited resources, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force is doing commendable work as not a single case of drug smuggling from Pakistan to Türkiye has been reported in the last five years”.

The two ministers agreed to increase police training cooperation and benefit from each other’s experiences in various professional domains.

The Turkish interior minister said that Türkiye attaches great importance to its brotherly relations with Pakistan and it is keen to expand cooperation in all fields, adding that the establishment of the joint working group will help further strengthen bilateral collaboration.

The Turkish minister thanked his Pakistani counterpart for the warm hospitality extended during the visit.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation with Turkiye in the fields of security, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, police training, disaster management, trade, and economic development.

He expressed this commitment, while talking to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who called on him here.

The prime minister praised Türkiye’s strong and unwavering support for Pakistan’s stance on key issues. He particularly tha­nked the Turkish leadership for its role in facilitating the ongoing peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul.

Highlighting strong fraternal ties between Pakistan and Türkiye, PM Shehbaz conveyed his warm regards and greetings to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish interior minister thanked the prime minister for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation.

He conveyed greetings for the prime minister from President Erdogan and expressed Türkiye’s strong desire for enhanced collaboration in law enforcement, intelligence-sharing and disaster management.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2025