BAGHDAD: Pakistan and Iraq have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their defence ties.

The commitment was reiterated during Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza’s meetings with Iraqi leadership, including Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ Al Sudani, Defence Minister Thabet Muhammad Saeed Al-Abbasi, Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shammari and Chief of Defence Forces General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yar Allah in Baghdad.

Both sides discussed key areas of interest, including security, defence cooperation and the current regional environment. They explored ways to expand the scope of military cooperation between the two countries.

The Iraqi civil and military leadership lauded the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism. In a separate development, earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraqi Ambassador Hamid Abbas Lafta announced a slew of measures aimed at easing travel restrictions and enhancing convenience to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen.

The landmark decisions were reached during a high-level meeting on Wednesday between the two sides who promised to make the journey smoother and more accessible for thousands of devotees.

Both sides agreed that Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen would no longer need to surrender their passports upon arrival.

The meeting decided that the Pakistani pilgrims would be issued visas by the Iraqi Embassy, bypassing travel agents and the quota for Pakistan pilgrims would be increased.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 05 2024

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