Pakistan, Qatar agree to deepen police cooperation, Doha to help build firing range in Islamabad

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets Qatari counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (right) in Doha, Qatar, on November 24, 2025. (X/@MohsinnaqviC42)
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Updated 24 November 2025
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Pakistan, Qatar agree to deepen police cooperation, Doha to help build firing range in Islamabad

  • Pakistan’s Interior Minister meets Qatari counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Doha
  • Pakistan undertakes measures to strengthen police forces as it reels from surging militant attacks across country

ISLAMABAD: Senior officials from Pakistan and Qatar agreed to enhance cooperation between their law enforcement agencies while Doha will help build a state-of-the-art firing range at a police academy in Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday. 

The development took place when Naqvi met Qatar’s Interior Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Doha. The two officials held talks on regional and bilateral matters, including enhanced cooperation between their law enforcement agencies, joint efforts to curb drug trafficking and strengthening coastal guard coordination, the Pakistani minister said. 

“I am grateful to Minister Al-Nuaimi for his commitment for helping in establishing a state-of-the-art firing range for the National Police Academy in Islamabad,” Naqvi wrote on social media platform X. 

“We look forward to welcoming him to Pakistan very soon.”

Pakistan enjoys cordial relations with Qatar and cooperates with the country in several sectors such as defense, economic, trade and others. Pakistan and Qatar have recently sought to expand their defense ties after Islamabad entered into a historic strategic defense agreement with Saudi Arabia in September. 

Pakistan has been eyeing measures to enhance the capability and effectiveness of its police force as it grapples with a rise in militant attacks in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. 

Three paramilitary forces personnel were killed on Monday morning when three suicide bombers attacked the Federal Constabulary (FC) force’s headquarters in Peshawar. Police said security forces had foiled the attack by killing all three suicide bombers, who had managed to wound 11 others in the attack.


OIC’s COMSTECH stresses academic collaborations across Muslim world in Islamabad meeting

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OIC’s COMSTECH stresses academic collaborations across Muslim world in Islamabad meeting

  • COMSTECH holds annual meeting in Islamabad featuring 30 delegates from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia and other OIC states
  • Limited pool of skilled professionals one of the foremost challenges facing Muslim world, notes COMSTECH secretary general 

ISLAMABAD: The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) called for stronger academic collaboration across Islamic states to secure the future of higher education in the Muslim world, state-run media reported on Saturday. 

COMSTECH’s Coordinator General Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary was speaking at the Annual Meeting of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence at the organization’s Secretariat in Islamabad. The event brought together vice chancellors, rectors, and senior representatives from leading universities across OIC member and observer states. 

Nearly 30 international delegates representing universities from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal joined their counterparts from several Pakistani institutions at the meeting. Participants attempted to chart a collective path forward for tertiary education in OIC countries.

“Collaborations, knowledge sharing, best practices, exchange of scholars, technology transfer and joint academic programs are vital for overcoming the educational challenges faced across the OIC region,” Choudhary said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

The COMSTECH secretary general noted that one of the foremost developmental challenges facing OIC nations remains the limited pool of skilled professionals and workforce. 

He said this gap can only be bridged through strengthened tertiary education systems and expanded opportunities for knowledge transfer.

Discussions at the event highlighted the urgent need for competency-driven education, modern pedagogical tools, university–industry partnerships and collaborative training programs designed to equip graduates with the skills necessary to address emerging global challenges.

“The Annual Meeting served as a vital platform for reviewing progress achieved over the past year, identifying future priorities, and deepening academic cooperation to promote scientific excellence and sustainable development across the OIC region,” the APP said.