UNIPATH STAFF
Pakistani and Tajik foreign ministers expressed support for deeper bilateral cooperation to tackle security challenges such as terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime.
At a visit to the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, in April 2021, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reserved time to talk with his Tajik counterpart, Sirajuddin Mehruddin.
They discussed issues that concerned both countries, including what Qureshi called the “challenge
of terrorism.”
“We also discussed the rising level of extremism and the growing intolerance all over the world — not just in our region — and how we can overcome this challenge,” Qureshi said at a news conference attended by both men. “There’s a host of things where we have a unanimity of view and that is reflected in the cooperation that we see between Tajikistan and Pakistan.”
The two countries pledged to continue cooperating on matters of defense, including sending Tajik officers to train in Pakistan.
Equally important to the foreign ministers was economic security, particularly cross-border infrastructure projects benefiting the Central and South Asian region. One such project is CASA 1000, a proposed $1.6 billion transmission line to sell surplus hydroelectric power from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to countries such as Pakistan.
“I assure the foreign minister of our commitment to CASA 1000 and our interest in its timely completion. It’s a project that benefits Pakistan and the region; we all benefit from it,” Qureshi said.
The Pakistani foreign minister held further meetings with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Defense Minister Gen. Sherali Mirzo.
“We agreed on the need to work together to defeat extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border crime,” Qureshi said.
Source: Dawn