Pakistan and the EU agree to widen legal migration routes as irregular migration falls 64 percent and border cooperation is stepped up

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union have agreed to deepen cooperation on border security and migration management, and to open wider legal routes for Pakistani skilled workers. The understanding came during a round of meetings in Islamabad with the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, who separately called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

This time, the numbers argued in Pakistan’s favour. EU figures cited in the meetings put the fall in irregular migration from Pakistan at 64 percent over the past 18 months — a reduction the Pakistani side noted no other country in the region had matched. Brunner praised the Federal Investigation Agency’s work, saying it had performed professionally despite limited resources. Naqvi, for his part, said the zero-tolerance policy against irregular migration would continue, with complete elimination as the next target.

The legal-routes agenda was just as prominent. Pakistan pressed for expanded opportunities under the EU Talent Partnerships framework, asked Brussels to consider a European Legal Gateway Office in Pakistan, and sought EU assistance to build the capacity of the Pakistan Coast Guards and the FIA against migrant smuggling. Officials also pointed to the EU Readmission Agreement, under which more than 30,000 people have been readmitted over the years. Both sides agreed to work together on the EU’s Eastern Corridor Initiative, with the next Pakistan-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue expected in Brussels early next year.

The test now is a practical one: how quickly the talk of legal pathways turns into real openings for the skilled Pakistanis who, at present, too often look for a boat instead of a visa.