Pakistan, Iraq Move to Enhance Pilgrim Facilitation and Security Cooperation

Pakistan and Iraq have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation and strengthen arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Iraq, following a high-level meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraqi Interior Minister General Abdul Ameer Al-Shammari in Brussels on Friday.

During the discussions, both sides underscored the need for a more organised and secure system to facilitate pilgrim travel, while also expanding collaboration in security and administrative affairs. The ministers reviewed ways to institutionalise coordination between their interior ministries on a sustainable basis.

The two countries agreed to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, the prevention of human trafficking, and information sharing through a joint mechanism aimed at improving operational efficiency.

Naqvi thanked the Iraqi government and people for their continued cooperation and hospitality toward Pakistani pilgrims. He reaffirmed that the safety, dignity, and facilitation of pilgrims remain a top priority for Pakistan, and emphasised that no pilgrim would be allowed to overstay beyond the approved period. He added that relevant institutions on both sides would maintain close coordination to ensure compliance.

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Al-Shammari appreciated Pakistan’s recent steps to formalise and regulate pilgrim groups, calling the measures unprecedented and highly effective. He assured that all pilgrims listed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior would be granted entry into Iraq without hindrance.

The Iraqi minister also announced that he would soon visit Pakistan to finalise a joint plan to further strengthen pilgrim facilitation, bolster security cooperation, and expand bilateral ties.