ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has called for greater opportunities for Pakistani professionals and workers to migrate legally to Europe, emphasizing that Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to reduce irregular migration should be matched by increased legal pathways, skills-based mobility, and organized collaboration with the European Union (EU).
The European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, visited the President at Aiwan-e-Sadr today, and the President shared these opinions with him. The meeting’s main topics were Pakistan-EU relations, collaboration on migration management, initiatives to stop human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and chances to promote legal migration.
According to President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan is dedicated to carrying out the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan and places a high value on its extensive cooperation with the EU.
The President emphasized Pakistan’s collaboration with the EU in reducing irregular migration, pointing out that Pakistan had readmitted over 30,000 people over the years and is still implementing the EU Readmission Agreement. He stated that Pakistan is still dedicated to using better laws, institutional capacity, border controls, and international collaboration to combat human trafficking and irregular migration.
Referring to the progress made in reducing irregular migration, the President noted that, according to EU figures, irregular migration from Pakistan reduced by 64% in the last eighteen months, making Pakistan the only country in the region to achieve such a reduction. He said this progress reflects Pakistan’s sustained efforts and underlined the importance of expanding safe and legal avenues for migration.
The meeting was informed that Pakistan has sought the European Union’s assistance in strengthening the capacity of the Pakistan Coast Guards and the Federal Investigation Agency to enhance efforts to combat irregular migration and migrant smuggling.
The President emphasised that legal migration pathways are essential to providing safe opportunities for workers and reducing reliance on smuggling networks. He highlighted the Pakistan-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue as a useful framework for matching Pakistan’s human-resource potential with European labour-market needs and expressed the hope that the next round of dialogue, expected to take place in Brussels early next year, would advance this cooperation.
In addition, President Zardari advocated for more opportunities for professionals and talented workers, especially through circular migration, and applauded the expansion of the EU Talent Partnerships framework.
He said that Pakistan is prepared to collaborate with the EU on a systematic approach to align its labor force with the demands of the European labor market. In light of the current Talent Partnership and Pakistan’s initiatives to reduce illegal migration, he also expressed the hope that the EU might think about setting up a European Legal Gateway Office there.
He said Pakistan and the EU have a broad-based relationship spanning political dialogue, trade, development cooperation and other areas of mutual interest. He expressed confidence that continued engagement would strengthen mutual understanding and help advance practical cooperation on migration and mobility.
Commissioner Magnus Brunner praised Pakistan’s contribution to preserving regional balance, stating that the country has done a fantastic job in this regard. Additionally, he praised Pakistan’s efforts to stop undocumented migrants from traveling on perilous routes that have claimed many of their lives.
Raimundas Karoblis, the ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, was accompanied by Grigorios Delavekouras, a cabinet member of Commissioner Brunner, and Henrik Nielsen, the director of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.
Attendees included Senator Sherry Rehman, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, former federal minister Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Muhammad Talal Chaudhry, and Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.