ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Overall, it is estimated that there are around 500,000 British visitors to Pakistan each year as the two Countries look to enhance people-to-people linkages and bilateral trade which amounts to £3.5 billion annually.
There are an estimated 106,101 British nationals and dual nationals in Pakistan and a Pakistani diaspora of approximately 1.9 million in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, a two-day International Conference on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) and Extradition between the UK and Pakistan concluded in Islamabad on February 28.
The first of its kind Conference was jointly organized by the British High Commission in Islamabad and the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan in collaboration with CODE Pakistan.
The Conference focused on four thematic areas; best practices in Extradition, best practices in Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA), Successful Application Drafting, and the Direct and Digital Communication.
The federal and provincial level practitioners of the MLA and extradition systems in both UK and Pakistan exchanged best practices.
The Conference also facilitated in the development of institutional relationships between the key stakeholder agencies of the UK and Pakistan, which in turn will decrease public spending in both Countries and speed up the investigation of criminal cases.
In the Conferncee, from Pakistan, the Ministry of Interior (MOI), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU), provincial Home Departments, and representatives of the provincial police forces participated.
The UK side delegation comprised officers from the UK Home Office, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office, and the Westminster Magistrates Court.
It’s worth noting that the Mutual legal assistance (MLA) is a method of cooperation between States for obtaining assistance in the investigation or prosecution of criminal offences. The MLA is generally used for obtaining material that cannot be obtained on a police cooperation basis, particularly enquiries that require coercive means.
