ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Italy on Friday agreed to sign an agreement to enhance mutual cooperation aimed at preventing illegal entry of Pakistanis into Italy.
During a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Italian Ambassador Mirelena Armellini at the Ministry of Interior, bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest were discussed.
The interior minister directed the concerned authorities to finalise the agreement at the earliest.
The interior minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to combat human trafficking, stating that a zero-tolerance policy had been adopted against human smuggling mafias.
He emphasised that those involved in human trafficking would not only face imprisonment but also financial penalties. He further stated that skilled Pakistani workers would be sent to Italy through legal channels, who would contribute to the remittances.
The Italian Ambassador appreciated the interior minister’s efforts to combat human trafficking and assured full cooperation in this regard.
The proposal to declare Milan and Islamabad as sister cities was also discussed during the meeting.
As many as 2.2 million Pakistanis are living in Europe, making the region a key destination for the Pakistani diaspora. According to the Italian Ministry of Labour and a recent report on the migrants’ presence in Italy, the country hosts approximately 120,000 Pakistanis.
Previous research by MMC, drawing on interviews with Pakistani arrivals in Italy between November 2019 and September 2021, identified a variety of intersecting factors that drove the need to migrate, with many (48pc) citing multiple reasons for doing so, the most common being violence, insecurity and conflict (54pc), lack of rights and freedom (36pc) and economic reasons (33pc)
