Pakistan, Bangladesh sign anti-narcotics cooperation agreement
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Bangladeshi counterpart Salahuddin Ahmed in Dhaka on Saturday, where the two sides signed an agreement aimed at enhancing cooperation against drug trafficking and narcotics abuse.
During the meeting, both countries agreed to establish a secretary-level joint working group between their interior ministries to coordinate efforts against the illegal movement, sale and supply of narcotics.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Pakistan and Bangladesh will strengthen collaboration to prevent drug smuggling, share intelligence on trafficking networks and develop joint strategies to dismantle supply chains linked to narcotics trade.
The two sides also agreed to cooperate in addressing drug abuse and its social consequences through coordinated measures and information sharing.
The MoU was signed by Mohsin Naqvi on behalf of Pakistan and Salahuddin Ahmed on behalf of Bangladesh.
The agreement also covers cooperation in personnel training, exchange of best practices and the use of modern technology to improve anti-narcotics operations.
During the talks, Mohsin Naqvi offered Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh’s Safe City Project and assured assistance at different levels.
Both ministers expressed interest in expanding bilateral cooperation in internal security, training of civil armed forces, counterterrorism efforts and measures against human smuggling. Discussions were also held on collaboration in tackling cybercrime, organised crime and financial fraud.
The two sides exchanged views on joint counterterrorism initiatives and explored opportunities for cooperation between police academies, including specialised training programmes for officers.
Naqvi invited the Bangladeshi interior minister to visit Pakistan, while Mr Ahmed thanked Pakistan for its offer of cooperation on the Safe City Project.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, Cabinet Secretary Naseem Al Ghani, Home Secretary Manzoor Chaudhry and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider were also present at the meeting.
