Pakistan and Russia sign organised-crime cooperation MoU during minister’s visit

Pakistan and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation against organised crime in Islamabad on Wednesday, 14 October, during Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev’s visit. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing after meeting Kolokoltsev, according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office. The agreement marks the concrete outcome of talks that also covered extradition, migration and cybercrime; several related arrangements remain unfinished.

What Pakistan and Russia agreed on organised crime

The memorandum followed talks between Kolokoltsev and Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Hindustan Times, carrying a PTI report, said the ministers discussed cooperation against organised crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and cybercrime. Those subjects show the breadth of the talks, although the reports do not provide the memorandum’s text or establish its specific obligations or timetable.

The ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force and relevant Russian agencies, according to both reports. They also agreed to expand cybercrime cooperation and ties between Pakistan’s National Police Academy and its Russian counterpart. Working groups from the two interior ministries are expected to visit each other’s countries as the officials pursue the areas discussed.

Kolokoltsev said Russian measures had reduced cybercrime by 33 per cent, both reports said. That figure is his account of Russia’s experience, rather than an independently verified measure of what the new Pakistan–Russia cooperation could achieve. It came amid discussions of how the two countries could work together on offences that cross borders and involve their law-enforcement agencies.

Extradition and readmission arrangements

The two sides also agreed to speed up implementation of a readmission agreement. Hindustan Times reported the commitment as an effort to expedite implementation, while Dawn described a decision to ensure early implementation. The ministers’ discussions separately covered sending skilled Pakistani workers to Russia and simplifying visa procedures for tourists and business visitors. The reports identify these as subjects of discussion, without describing a newly signed labour or visa agreement.

Kolokoltsev’s visit and wider bilateral talks

Kolokoltsev arrived in Pakistan on Monday, 12 October, for a four-day visit at Naqvi’s invitation. Dawn reported that this was the first visit to Pakistan by a Russian interior minister. The trip brought together meetings with security officials and Pakistan’s civilian leadership, placing the signed law-enforcement memorandum within a broader set of bilateral discussions.

In his meeting with Sharif, Kolokoltsev highlighted what the Prime Minister’s Office called significant potential to expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation. That was an expressed opportunity, not the signed outcome of the visit. The Foreign Office said Kolokoltsev also met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss trade, investment, culture, tourism and cooperation at multilateral forums, Dawn reported.

Dawn also reported a meeting between Kolokoltsev and Field Marshal Asim Munir, citing a statement from Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR. The two discussed regional security and bilateral security cooperation. Together with the interior-ministry talks, those meetings show that security and economic questions were both on the visit’s agenda; the documented new agreement concerned cooperation against organised crime.