Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece join forces to curb illegal migration

• Interior Minister Naqvi, his three EU counterparts agree to quadrilateral strategy aims to block human smuggling networks

• Four-nation Rome conference also decides on legal migration pathways to be expanded under coordinated plan

• European partners pledge full support to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity with joint working group and rapid response mechanism to be established

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece have agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal migration at all levels while expanding legal migration pathways, amid Islamabad’s intensified crackdown on irregular migration, particularly toward Europe, an official statement said on Thursday.

The announcement 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. The meeting focused on tackling human smuggling networks and regulating migration flows, said a interior ministry’s statement.

Productive meeting in Rome with my counterparts from Italy, Spain and Greece at the 4-nation conference on curbing illegal migration.

Pakistan, Italy, Spain & Greece agreed on a coordinated strategy against illegal migration, human smuggling and narcotics, including a joint… pic.twitter.com/46ruUqNCyb

— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) February 26, 2026

“Pakistan, Italy, Spain, and Greece agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal immigration at all levels,” the Interior Ministry said. “The three countries also endorsed the Pakistani interior minister’s proposal to curb illegal migration through legal pathways,” the ministry said.

The ministry noted that all three European states pledged full support to Pakistan to enhance its enforcement capacity under the European Union framework.

Pakistan intensified its crackdown in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including many Pakistanis, drowned in a shipwreck off Pylos, marking one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest disasters. Since then, authorities have strengthened airport screening, arrested over 1,700 suspected human smugglers, and launched technology-driven systems to detect forged travel documents.

During the visit, Naqvi also met Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Athanasios Plevris, where both officials agreed to finalize a Migration Cooperation Agreement and establish a joint working group to improve operational coordination. He welcomed Greece’s support in developing and strengthening the skills of Pakistani police and paramilitary forces in technology-driven 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.

Pakistan highlighted that European ministers acknowledged a 47 percent drop in illegal migration in 2025 following its expanded enforcement drive.

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