World | Pakistan
Tehran joins hands with Islamabad to fight terrorism
Pakistan and Iran agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation for combating terrorism and extremism during a high-level meeting on Tuesday officials said.
- By Shahid HussainCorrespondent
- Published: 00:03 July 23, 2008
Islamabad: Pakistan and Iran agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation for combating terrorism and extremism during a high-level meeting on Tuesday officials said.
Visiting acting Iranian interior minister, Syed Mehdi Hashmi, and adviser to the Pakistani prime minister on interior, Rehman Malik, met at the interior ministry here along with their aides.
Malik later told reporters the two countries decided to set up a joint committee of religious scholars from the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam on curbing extremism and sectarianism.
He said the panel would come up with suggestions for paving the way for sectarian harmony in line with Islam's fundamental message of peace and tolerance.
The adviser said the two sides had also discussed the issue of smuggling human beings and petroleum products across the common border and had agreed to tighten preventive measures along the frontier.
The issue of exchange of criminals was also discussed and the Iranian delegation requested the release of 16 Iranians kidnapped by criminal gangs from inside Pakistan territory, Malik said.
He said the two sides had also decided to take steps to promote tourism between the two countries.
Malik said the panel would come up with suggestions for paving the way for sectarian harmony in line with Islam's fundamental message of peace and tolerance.
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