Pakistan and Somalia are exploring the feasibility of a bilateral extradition treaty and enhanced legal cooperation as part of a significant push to deepen collaboration against transnational crime and narcotics trafficking, it emerged following a high-level meeting in the capital.
The talks came as the two countries signed a historic agreement to lift visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, it was reported today. The agreement was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari and co-signed by Dawood Muhammad Baraich, Special Secretary at the Interior Ministry of Pakistan, and Hamza Aden Hado, Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Ministry of Somalia.
The meeting between President Zardari and Somalia”s visiting Minister of Interior, Mr Ali Yousuf, marked the first bilateral official visit from Somalia to Pakistan in 35 years, underscoring a renewed effort to fortify relations.
During the dialogue, both sides exchanged views on boosting cooperation in law enforcement and criminal justice. The possibility of negotiating mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and an arrangement for the transfer of sentenced persons was also a key point of discussion.
Further talks centred on joint counter-narcotics efforts, including collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and organised crime, the sharing of information and intelligence, and the capacity building and training of personnel.
President Zardari was informed that Pakistan had formally offered assistance from its National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in the fields of advanced identity management, civil registration, and secure documentation systems. An offer to provide training for the Somalian police force was also extended.
The Somali Interior Minister, who was in Pakistan on the invitation of his counterpart, expressed his appreciation for the warm hospitality and handed over a letter to President Zardari from the President of Somalia, which conveyed greetings and reaffirmed the desire for deepened bilateral ties.
Mr Yousuf described Pakistan as a “reliable partner and brother” since Somalia”s independence, recalling the sacrifices of Pakistani peacekeepers who laid down their lives while serving under the United Nations flag in Somalia during the 1990s.
President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its engagement with African nations, noting that the continent is an important part of the world”s geopolitical landscape and that Islamabad values its ties with Mogadishu.
Also present at the meeting were Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Mr Mohsin Raza Naqvi; Minister of State for Interior, Mr Talal Chaudhry; the Ambassador of Somalia to Pakistan, Mr Sheikhnur Mohamed Hassan; and Somali Deputy Police Chief, Mr Osman Abdullahi.