ISLAMABAD: Police and paramilitary force training dominated security discussions between Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, during talks in Riyadh, the Pakistani interior minister said on Tuesday.
According to the statement released on Naqvi’s WhatsApp Channel, the two sides agreed to launch a training exchange program for police and paramilitary personnel, alongside broader cooperation on security matters between the interior ministries of both countries.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides and formed part of a series of high-level engagements aimed at strengthening defense and security ties. The statement said the two ministers also decided that a working group meeting of the interior ministries would convene next month.
During the talks, “the long-standing issue of the legal status of Burmese Muslims was also discussed,” the statement said. It added that the Saudi minister expressed his appreciation to Naqvi “for resolving the issue of Burmese Muslims.”
Prince Abdulaziz also offered condolences over this week’s suicide attack on the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, which left three paramilitary personnel martyred.
Naqvi, as quoted in the statement, described Saudi Arabia as “a second home to every Pakistani” and said the country was proud of its “enduring relations with Saudi Arabia.”
The meeting follows a sustained uptick in Pakistan–Saudi security engagement.
In September, the two countries signed a defense pact, building on decades of military cooperation. Earlier this month, Pakistan army’s Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Syed Aamer Raza held high-level talks in Riyadh with his Saudi counterpart Gen. Fayyadh Bin Hameed Al-Ruwaily.
Gen. Al-Ruwaily met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday, where he reiterated the Kingdom’s intent to elevate the “excellent defense and strategic partnership” with Pakistan.
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