Pakistan, EU agree to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation at multilateral forums

Pakistan, EU agree to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation at multilateral forums

Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have agreed to strengthen cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, to advance a coherent counterterrorism approach, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday. The agreement was reached during the 10th round of the Pakistan-EU Bilateral Counterterrorism Dialogue, held in Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation was led by Dr Fareha Bugti, director general (counterterrorism), while the EU side was headed by Anna Strazska, the European External Action Service’s special envoy for counterterrorism. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on recent regional and global developments affecting the terrorism threat landscape and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms, reaffirming their commitment to combating the threat. According to FO, the EU condemned recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, expressed solidarity with the suffering of affected civilians and recognised the value of Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism. “Acknowledging each other’s role in the ongoing global fight against terrorism, Pakistan and the EU expressed concern at the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan,” the statement added. The two sides maintained that effective multilateralism remained essential to building lasting international consensus on terrorism. The discussions also addressed the evolving nature of terrorist threats, including the exploitation of cyberspace and information and energy resources to advance their objectives, the statement said. The FO said Pakistan and the EU exchanged best practices on preventing and countering violent extremism, terrorism financing and radicalisation in all forms, particularly the use of cyberspace by terrorists. It added that the “two sides identified priority areas for cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to regular, institutionalised engagement on counterterrorism”. The FO said the next round of the dialogue would be held in Brussels at a mutually convenient date next year. The dialogue comes as Pakistan’s counterterrorism challenge enters a new and more complex phase, with terrorist groups evolving their methods of financing and recruitment. On Tuesday, an international seminar on Pakistan’s evolving counterterrorism landscape, organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, highlighted the changing methods of terrorist groups, including their financing and recruitment. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the Afghan authorities to take “concrete, verifiable and irreversible action” against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups operating from Afghan soil. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who also addressed the seminar, cited UN assessments indicating that more than 6,000 TTP fighters were present in Afghanistan, with the overall militant presence exceeding 20,000.