ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Poland agreed on Wednesday to expand legal migration and employment opportunities for Pakistanis in Europe as part of efforts to curb illegal migration, a longstanding challenge that has exposed thousands of Pakistanis to dangerous smuggling routes.

The agreement came during talks in Islamabad between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and visiting Polish minister Tomasz Siemoniak, with the two sides also agreeing to deepen cooperation on intelligence sharing, counterterrorism and organized crime.

Irregular migration has become a major concern for Pakistan following a series of deadly boat disasters involving its citizens attempting to reach Europe through smuggling networks. Islamabad has responded with crackdowns on human smugglers, tighter scrutiny of travel documents and greater cooperation with European governments.

“The government’s measures have resulted in a 64 percent decline in illegal migration from Pakistan to Europe,” Naqvi said, according to a statement from his ministry.

He said Pakistan had adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy toward illegal migration, drugs and organized crime and argued that closer bilateral coordination could further reduce such offenses.

Siemoniak said Pakistani citizens arriving in Poland through legal channels would be welcomed, according to the statement.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Pakistan and Poland also agreed to finalize several agreements, including one on mutual legal assistance, and increase cooperation between their law enforcement agencies.

A Pakistani Interior Ministry delegation led by Chaudhry will visit Poland to advance the agreements, while the two sides also discussed the possibility of visa-free travel for holders of official passports.

Siemoniak’s visit is part of a broader push to expand bilateral ties. He met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday and President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday, with discussions covering political and economic relations as well as security, migration and counterterrorism cooperation.

Pakistan and Poland also agreed to expand trade, business and people-to-people ties, while Naqvi thanked Warsaw for supporting Pakistan’s access to the European Union’s GSP Plus trade scheme.