ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday called for enhanced regional coordination to combat drug trafficking, saying his country was ready to expand counter-narcotics cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states through intelligence sharing, joint training and technical collaboration.
Naqvi issued the statement while speaking at the Pak-GCC Regional Narcotics Conference, organized by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in Islamabad, where delegates from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait gathered to develop a joint strategy against narcotics trafficking and abuse.
“The Government of Pakistan stands ready to deepen its cooperation with the GCC states in every area of counter-narcotics,” Naqvi said. “We seek to strengthen mechanisms for intelligence sharing, joint training, real-time coordination and forensic and technological collaboration.”
Naqvi stressed that the success of anti-drug efforts depended on collective commitment and sustained collaboration among regional partners.
He said the presence of GCC delegates at the conference demonstrated their shared resolve to combat drug trafficking and abuse.
“Your presence here reflects our collective resolve to strengthen cooperation, share intelligence and forge actionable strategies to combat drug trafficking and abuse,” he said.
He emphasized that Pakistan and its regional partners must act decisively to address the evolving challenges posed by narcotics.
“Today, our regional friends have come together with a sense of urgency and responsibility, as the global drug problem continues to evolve in scale, complexity and impact,” he said.
“I am confident that through joint action and sustained partnership, we can reverse this growing threat and protect future generations,” he added.
Naqvi said Pakistan and GCC states shared deep historical, religious and cultural ties, making it all the more important to work together for a region “safer, healthier and free from the destructive influence of narcotics.”
Pakistan ready to boost anti-narcotics cooperation with Gulf states — interior minister
https://arab.news/zzz9w
Pakistan ready to boost anti-narcotics cooperation with Gulf states — interior minister
- Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force hosted the Pak-GCC conference in the federal capital
- Event aimed to strengthen regional coordination and build joint drug control strategy
US freezes visa processing for 75 countries, media reports Pakistan included
- State Department announces indefinite pause on immigrant visas starting Jan 21
- Move underscores Trump’s hard-line immigration push despite close Pakistan-US ties
ISLAMABAD: The United States will pause immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries starting Jan. 21, the State Department said on Wednesday, with Fox News and other media outlets reporting that Pakistan is among the countries affected by the indefinite suspension.
The move comes as the Trump administration presses ahead with a broad immigration crackdown, with Pakistan included among the affected countries despite strong ongoing diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Washington on economic cooperation, regional diplomacy and security matters.
Fox News, citing an internal State Department memo, said US embassies had been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while Washington reassesses screening and vetting procedures. The report said the pause would apply indefinitely and covers countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the Department of State said in a post on X.
According to Fox News and Pakistan news outlets like Dawn, the list of affected countries includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Brazil and Thailand, among others.
“The suspension could delay travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who annually seek US visas. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to affected applicants in the coming days,” Dawn reported.
A State Department spokesman declined comment when Arab News reached out via email to confirm if Pakistan was on the list.
The Department has not publicly released the full list of countries or clarified which visa categories would be affected, nor has it provided a timeline for when processing could resume.
Trump has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his agenda since returning to office last year, reviving and expanding the use of the “public charge” provision of US immigration law to restrict entry by migrants deemed likely to rely on public benefits.
During his previous term as president, Trump imposed sweeping travel restrictions on several Muslim-majority countries, a policy widely referred to as a “Muslim ban,” which was challenged in US courts before a revised version was upheld by the Supreme Court. That policy was later rescinded under the President Joe Biden administration.
The latest visa freeze marks a renewed hardening of US immigration policy, raising uncertainty for migrants from affected countries as Washington reassesses its screening and vetting procedures.
The freeze on visas comes amid an intensifying crackdown on immigration enforcement by the Trump administration. In Minneapolis last week, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, a US citizen, during a federal operation, an incident that has drawn nationwide protests and scrutiny of ICE tactics. Family members and local officials have challenged the federal account of the shooting, even as Department of Homeland Security officials defended the agent’s actions. The case has prompted resignations by federal prosecutors and heightened debate over the conduct of immigration enforcement under the current administration.
