ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain agreed to enhance counterterrorism and counternarcotics cooperation in talks between President Asif Ali Zardari and Bahrain Interior Minister Lt Gen Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Thursday, said an official statement.

The Pakistani president is on a four-day visit to the Gulf country where he met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa a day earlier, with both sides emphasizing closer trade, investment and security collaboration.

Zardari's visit follows Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's meeting with Al Khalifa in November in which they discussed regional security, law-enforcement and intelligence sharing.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration on shared security priorities and agreed to pursue coordinated efforts against threats posed by organized crime, illicit drugs and terrorism," the Presidential Secretariat said in a statement circulated after the meeting in Manama.

"The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in security, counternarcotics measures and counterterrorism."

Pakistan and Bahrain maintain close diplomatic, defense and labor ties.

More than 116,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain, forming one of the kingdom’s largest South Asian communities.

Pakistan has in recent years intensified outreach to Gulf states, viewing closer economic and security ties as central to its long-term stability and reform agenda.