Pakistan and Sudan have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation in tackling cybercrime, alongside wider collaboration in security, internal affairs, police training and institutional development. The decision followed talks in Islamabad between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Sudanese counterpart, Lieutenant General Babaker Samra Mustafa Ali. The two ministers first held a meeting and then joined delegation level discussions, during which they reviewed cooperation across several areas of mutual interest, including the work of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, both sides decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding focused on cooperation in cybercrime. The Sudanese interior minister told the meeting that his country wanted to benefit from Pakistan’s expertise and experience in combating cybercrime. He described Pakistan as a brotherly country and said Sudan attached great importance to expanding cooperation with it across various sectors. His remarks showed that Sudan is looking to Pakistan for practical experience in dealing with offences committed online, an area that has drawn growing attention from governments around the world.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan was ready to extend all possible support to Sudan and offered professional training for Sudanese police officers in Pakistan. He also said that NADRA remained ready to continue supporting Sudan’s civil registration system. Naqvi pointed out that the authority’s assistance had helped issue 36 million citizenship cards, nine million national identity cards, 18 million birth certificates and 500,000 death certificates in Sudan. The figures highlight the digital registration work that Pakistan has already carried out in the country, which now forms part of the wider conversation on cooperation between the two sides.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Interior, NADRA, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Anti Narcotics Force, Islamabad Police and other relevant institutions attended the meeting. Their presence reflected the range of Pakistani institutions that could take part in the cooperation once the Memorandum of Understanding is signed. The Sudanese minister thanked Pakistan for its support and expressed his country’s desire to expand cooperation in different fields, while the planned training for police officers and the sharing of experience in cybercrime are expected to form the practical side of the understanding between the two countries.
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