Pakistan, Russia agree on joint efforts against terror

ISLAMABAD: Amidst the rising terrorism in the region, Friday saw Pakistan and Russia discussing various forms of radicalization, spread of terrorist ideologies, and misuse of information and communication technologies for terrorist purposes.

“Both Pakistan and Russia agreed on the need for comprehensive strategies to counter these challenges, during the tenth meeting of Pakistan-Russia Joint Working Group on Combating International Terrorism and Other Challenges to Security held in Islamabad today”, said the Foreign Office.

Pakistan specially has been suffering from continuous attacks by the TTP from the soil of Afghanistan and a joint strategy would go a long way towards addressing this massive security challenge, it said.

“We have urged the interim Afghan government to take concrete action against these TTP elements, dismantle their networks and prevent terrorist attacks from across the border into Pakistan. We also want them to hold the perpetrators and abettors of terrorist incidents inside Pakistan to account. We remain engaged with Afghan authorities with focus on these goals,” Foreign Office spokeswoman commented on Thursday amid the continuing threats from inside Afghanistan.

On Friday, Pakistan and Russia discussed at length the global and regional terrorist threats, with a particular focus on the situations in Afghanistan, Central and South Asia, and North Africa.

“The dialogue underscored the complexity of the terrorism landscape and the need for continued vigilance and the two sides outlined their respective national strategies and measures in combating terrorism. Pakistan and Russia shared their experiences and best practices, highlighting the importance of national efforts in the broader fight against terrorism”, added the Foreign Office. Friday’s meeting was part of regular exchanges in the backdrop of Pakistan-Russia bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and it saw both countries agreeing to strengthen collaborative efforts to effectively combat terrorism, underscoring the mutual benefits of such cooperation.

Discussions on enhancing cooperation in multilateral forums, such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), were particularly fruitful. The two sides resolved to work together in combating financing of terrorism and other key areas of counter-terrorism.

“The meeting concluded with reaffirmation of the commitment of both Pakistan and Russia to continue their cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The two sides recognized the importance of their partnership in maintaining regional and global security”, said the Foreign Office.

The meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, Additional Foreign Secretary, and Ambassador Sergey Vershinin, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, with the next meeting of the Working Group being held in 2024.