Turkish intelligence chief visits Pakistan, discusses regional security, bilateral cooperation

Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin visited Pakistan following his trip to Afghanistan, holding talks with senior Pakistani officials on bilateral ties, regional security, and ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Turkish security sources said Thursday.

During his visit to the capital Islamabad, Kalin met Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asim Malik, and he was also received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The talks addressed the current state of Türkiye-Pakistan relations and opportunities for further cooperation, as well as regional and global developments.

The officials discussed the security landscape that emerged in the Middle East following the beginning of the US-Israel war with Iran, rising regional tensions, and the conflict’s political, security, and economic repercussions for regional countries.

They also assessed the risk of the conflicts spreading to other countries and regions, according to the sources.

Recent tensions and developments between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as well as the risks they pose to regional stability, were also among the issues discussed.

The talks highlighted the importance of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in providing common ground among the parties as part of efforts to restore regional stability.

The officials also pointed to the roles of Türkiye and Pakistan in reducing tensions and keeping diplomatic channels open.

Türkiye stressed that it would continue to make every effort to help resolve tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, as it has done in the past.

The two sides also agreed to further strengthen their existing high-level cooperation in the security and intelligence fields.

Türkiye reiterated its support for Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and underlined that it would continue supporting efforts to strengthen the country’s counterterrorism capacity.

Kalin’s Pakistan visit came after he held talks in Kabul and Kandahar with senior Afghan officials.