By our correspondent
LAHORE: Minister of Interior of Italy, Matteo Piantedosi, along with his delegation, called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr today and discussed ways to increase bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
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Minister for Interior & Narcotics Control, Senator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Ch Salik Hussain, Minister of State for Interior, Senator Muhammad Tallal Chaudhary, and senior government officials were also present during the meeting.
Welcoming the Italian Interior Minister, the President said that Pakistan greatly valued its ties with Italy and remained determined to improve mutually beneficial cooperation in diverse sectors.
The President discussed with the Italian Interior Minister India’s unprovoked military aggression against Pakistan that had targeted innocent civilians, including women, children and the elderly. He deplored that the extremist Indian regime had endangered the peace and stability of the entire South Asian region, adding that hostile Indian actions would have dangerous consequences for the region.
The Minister expressed condolences to the families of the martyrs who lost their lives in the Indian attack on Pakistan last night. He remarked that he would convey Pakistan’s concerns to his government as well as the international community to end the current situation.
The visiting Interior Minister further stated that Pakistan and Italy were cooperating against human trafficking and terrorism. He stated that there was great scope for economic cooperation between the two countries, adding that the 160,000-strong Pakistani diaspora in Italy was well integrated and contributing positively towards Italian society and their development.
The President thanked the Italian Minister for visiting Pakistan during such a critical period.
Later, the President also witnessed the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding to increase cooperation on curbing illegal migration and facilitating legal migration and labour mobility for skilled and educated Pakistani workers to Italy.
