ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece have agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal migration while expanding legal pathways, an official statement said on Thursday, as Islamabad seeks to consolidate a crackdown it says has already reduced irregular migration to Europe by 47 percent.

The development comes during Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Italy where he attended a four-nation conference in Rome with his counterparts from the three European states focused on tackling human smuggling networks and regulating migration flows.

Pakistan stepped up its enforcement drive in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including many Pakistanis, drowned in a shipwreck off Pylos in one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest disasters.

Since then, authorities say they have intensified airport screening, arrested more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers and launched technology-driven systems to detect forged travel documents.

“Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal immigration at all levels,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

“The three countries agreed with the Pakistani interior minister’s proposal to curb illegal immigration through legal pathways,” it added.

The ministry said all three European states decided to provide full support to Pakistan to enhance its capacity under the European Union framework.

Naqvi also met Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Athanasios Plevris, with both officials agreeing to finalize a Migration Cooperation Agreement and to establish a joint working group to improve coordination.

He also welcomed support from Greece in developing and strengthening the skills of Pakistani police and paramilitary forces in technology-based operations.

The statement said the four countries agreed to further strengthen a joint rapid response mechanism and decided to hold the next quadrilateral meeting later this year.

A decision was also taken to repatriate criminals involved in serious crimes from Europe to Pakistan for legal action, according to the ministry.

Pakistan has said European ministers acknowledged a 47 percent drop in illegal migration in 2025 following its expanded crackdown.

Last December, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system in Islamabad, and in September the Federal Investigation Agency released a list of more than 100 “most wanted” human smugglers while identifying major trafficking hubs.