Pakistan, Bahrain agree to deepen security cooperation with MoUs, joint working group

ISLAMABAD:(Web News) Pakistan and Bahrain on Wednesday agreed to boost security cooperation by signing MoUs in counternarcotics, extradition, mutual legal assistance and police training, and by forming a joint working group on counterterrorism, border security, coast guard operations and immigration.

The agreements were announced after delegation-level talks between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bahraini counterpart, Lt. Gen. Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, in Islamabad.

“The establishment of the joint working group and signing of MoUs will promote cooperation between the two countries,” the Bahraini interior minister said, according to an official statement from Naqvi’s office.

Naqvi said counternarcotics cooperation was “a matter of the future of our coming generations,” praising Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force for record seizures despite limited resources.

“ANF has made the largest recovery in history of $146 million,” he added.

He welcomed Bahrain’s appointment of a drug liaison officer in Islamabad, calling it an important step for joint efforts.

More than 120,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain, contributing to the Gulf state’s economy and serving as a bridge in bilateral relations.

Pakistan and Bahrain established diplomatic ties in 1971 and have since maintained close political, trade and defense links through regular high-level visits and security cooperation.