Pakistan has reached an understanding with Sudan to deepen cooperation in internal security, police training and civil registration, and the two governments have decided to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on combating cybercrime. The Ministry of Interior said in a statement issued on Saturday that the decision followed talks in Islamabad between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sudan's Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Babiker Samra Mustafa Ali. Some reports spell the Sudanese minister's first name Babaker. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry also took part in the discussions.
What the two sides discussed
The meeting was followed by delegation-level talks covering several areas, including the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan's national identity and registration agency. Naqvi said NADRA's work had helped Sudan issue 36 million citizenship cards and 18 million birth certificates, while nine million national ID cards and 500,000 death certificates had also been issued. He said NADRA was ready to keep backing Sudan's registration work, and that Pakistan would keep providing technical help in that field.
Naqvi also told the Sudanese delegation that Pakistan stood ready to help efforts to bring peace to Sudan and to rebuild it, and offered to strengthen the country's institutional capacity. He made an offer to train officers of Sudan's police in Pakistan, on a professional basis, and said Sudanese citizens could make use of medical facilities in Pakistan, with help to be extended in the health sector. Responding to a request from the Sudanese minister, he directed the relevant authorities to resolve quickly the visa difficulties of Sudanese wives of Pakistani nationals. No outcome of that directive has been announced yet.
Representatives of the Interior Ministry, NADRA, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and Islamabad Police were present at the meeting. The Sudanese minister expressed gratitude for Pakistan's backing and said his country wanted to widen cooperation across several fields.
Cybercrime pact and next steps
The cybercrime element is the only one with a formal next step so far. The Sudanese minister said his government wanted to draw on Pakistan's knowledge and practical experience in tackling online crime, and both sides decided to put that cooperation into a written MoU. The signing has not yet taken place, and no timetable has been announced for the MoU, the police training offer or the registration support.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan aur Sudan ne security, police training aur civil registration mein taaluqat barhane par ittefaq kiya hai. Dono mulkon ne cybercrime par ek MoU sign karne ka faisla kiya hai, jo abhi sign nahi hua. Is ka seedha asar abhi aam shehri ki rozmarra zindagi par nahi dikhta, lekin online jurm se nipatne mein ta'awun barh sakta hai. Visa ke masail hal karne ki hidayat bhi di gayi hai.
