ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and the United States on Friday agreed to make exchange of information more effective in the fields of counterterrorism and counter-narcotics in yet another sign of deepening security cooperation between the two sides.
The development came during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory LoGerfo at the Ministry of Interior.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker and Federal Interior Secretary were also present on the occasion.
An official handout issued here by the Interior Ministry said during the meeting, both sides agreed to further enhance Pakistan-US relations especially in the areas of counterterrorism, border security, and anti-narcotics.
They also agreed to make the exchange of information more effective in the fields of counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.
Naqvi said that since President Donald Trump’s administration came into power, the Pakistan-US relations have improved significantly.
He commended President Trump’s sincere efforts for global peace and noted that transparency, mutual trust, and cooperation are the hallmarks of the bilateral relationship. He emphasized that this is an excellent opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations in all areas.
The interior minister added that counterterrorism dialogue will help in creating a joint strategy. He termed the US decision to designate the banned BLA and banned Majeed Brigade foreign terrorist organisations a commendable step, expressing hope that Pakistan-US cooperation will yield positive results in eliminating terrorism.
Gregory LoGerfo acknowledged Pakistan’s geo-strategic importance. He also expressed condolences over the loss of lives in terrorist attacks.
The meeting came against the backdrop of recent a move by the US to designate BLA and Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). The move was a major diplomatic win for Pakistan.
Earlier this week, Pakistan and the United States pledged to deepen counterterrorism cooperation, with a renewed focus on tackling terrorist groups including the BLA, ISIS-Khorasan and the TTP.
But what was significant in the joint statement issued after the latest round of counterterrorism dialogue held in Islamabad was that it was for the first time the US agreed to work together with Pakistan to tackle groups such as the outlawed BLA.
The two countries regularly hold counterterrorism dialogue but never before the joint statement made mention of terrorist groups such as the BLA.
