Pakistan, Bangladesh agree to expand cooperation against cybercrime and online fraud

NEW YORK: Pakistan and Bangladesh have agreed to broaden cooperation in efforts to curb cybercrime and online fraud, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s interior ministry on Friday after a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Salahuddin Ahmed.

The ministry said the two ministers met in New York and also agreed to widen cooperation in other areas of mutual interest. Their discussions included training and exchange programmes for police officers as part of efforts to strengthen coordination between the two sides.

Regional and bilateral discussions

According to the ministry’s statement posted on X, the meeting also featured a detailed discussion on the US-Iran conflict and the current situation in the Middle East. The statement said Ahmed praised Pakistan’s constructive role in efforts aimed at peace.

Naqvi, as quoted by the ministry, said Pakistan should use the current opening to deepen ties with Bangladesh.

We must seize new opportunities to further strengthen our mutual relations,

The ministry also quoted Naqvi as saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had played an important role in maintaining peace.

UN summit meetings in New York

Naqvi is currently in the United States, where he represented Pakistan at a United Nations summit held on July 7 and 8. The gathering brought together interior ministers, police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from around the world to discuss peace, security and stronger cooperation against transnational crime.

On the sidelines of the summit, Naqvi also met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace, according to the interior ministry. The minister separately held meetings with his counterparts from China, Russia and Sri Lanka during his visit.

The latest contact with Bangladesh comes as Pakistan’s interior ministry pursues security and law-enforcement cooperation with a range of countries on the margins of the UN meetings in New York.