Islamabad, 13 October 2026: The EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, H.E. Mr Magnus Brunner, launched today a new €5 million EU-funded project to strengthen integrated border management and risk analysis in Pakistan. The launch concluded the National Risk Analysis Summit, marking a new step in the cooperation between Pakistan and the European Union on migration and border management.
Jointly organised by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the Risk Analysis Summit highlighted progress made by the FIA Risk Analysis Unit, established with EU support. The new project builds on progress achieved under initiatives supported by the European Union and Member States to strengthened strategic governance and operational capacities of Pakistani migration and border management agencies. This notably includes the development of an integrated border management framework and the adoption of internationally recognised risk analysis methodologies.
Commissioner Brunner attended the Summit during his visit to Pakistan. His participation underlined the importance the European Union attaches to its partnership with Pakistan on migration and border management. In his keynote address, the Commissioner said: “Pakistan is a key partner for the European Union, and I welcome the strong cooperation we have built on migration. Together, we are advancing a comprehensive and balanced agenda: combatting irregular migration and migrant smuggling, supporting the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants, and expanding legal pathways. Today, the European Union is stepping up this partnership with new support for integrated border management and risk analysis. Together, we are building a migration partnership that makes mobility safer, borders stronger and our citizens better protected.”
Addressing the Summit, the Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control, H.E. Mr Talal Chaudhry, said: “Our agencies have intensified action against the agents and facilitators of human smuggling, and Parliament has toughened the law. Together, these measures have significantly reduced illegal migration from Pakistan towards Europe. Our aim is to close the smuggling routes altogether while keeping the doors of legal migration open, because every young Pakistani who finds a legal route to Europe is one less customer for a smuggler. I thank the European Union for its partnership with Pakistan. Its support has strengthened our risk analysis capacity, and further support the will consolidate these gains last”
The IBM PAK project will be implemented by ICMPD in partnership with CIVIPOL. The project will work closely with the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, the Pakistan Land Port Authority and the FIA to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to develop and implement border management policies and practices that are integrated, protection sensitive and gender responsive.
The Risk Analysis Summit brought together senior representatives of the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control and border management agencies, the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan, Frontex, EU Member State Immigration Liaison Officers and other international partners.
Following an introduction to the Summit and its objectives by the FIA, the Additional Director General (Immigration), FIA, Mr Nouman Siddiqui, delivered the opening remarks and highlighted the role of the RAU in the FIA’s management of immigration control functions: “Smuggling networks keep changing their routes and methods, so experience alone is no longer enough; we need evidence. With the support of the European Union and ICMPD, risk analysis is now an established function of the Federal Investigation Agency, and we are committed to sustaining it, said Mr Noman Siddiqui, Additional Director General Immigration, Federal Investigation Agency.
In his closing remarks, the Director General of the FIA, Dr Usman Anwar, reflected on how far the RAU has come since the FIA first established it as its first ever risk analysis unit. The Unit is staff by permanent analysts who have received advanced training and operates from a fully equipped office at FIA Headquarters, supported by 4 zonal risk analysis units. With support from the European Union and ICMPD, FIA plans to extend the zonal risk analysis function to all zones across Pakistan. Together with the Annual Risk Analysis Report and the priority risk profiles presented earlier in the day, these developments provide the Agency with a consistent evidence base for immigration control decisions. Dr Anwar noted that enhanced risk profiling has made a significant contribution to the FIA’s efforts to prevent irregular migration through Pakistan’s borders.
The Summit concluded with the ceremonial signing of IBM PAK project by H.E. Mr Raimundas Karoblis, EU Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms. Marija Raus, Head of Region Silk Routes/Head of Budapest Process Secretariat for ICMPD and Mr. Jules Pautrat, Project Manager for CIVIPOL, in the presence of Commissioner Brunner, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, DG FIA Dr. Usman Anwar and MD Pakistan Land Port Authority (PLPA) Lt. General (R) Hassan Azhar Hayat.
Context:
The National Risk Analysis Summit is a flagship event of the Risk Analysis Pakistan – Phase II (RAPAK II) project, implemented by ICMPD with funding from the European Union through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF).
RAPAK II aims to enhance the capacities of national border management agencies in Pakistan through improved strategic planning, risk analysis and inter-agency coordination. The project supports the FIA in strengthening its immigration control functions through risk analysis aligned with European practices, promotes coordination among border management agencies within an integrated border management framework, and facilitates cooperation between Pakistan and the European Union in countering irregular migration, human trafficking and migrant smuggling. A follow-up phase (RAPAK +) will further consolidate joint efforts towards strengthening Pakistan’s border management through advanced risk analysis and strategic planning.
Support to Integrated Border Management in Pakistan (IBM PAK) advances the capacities of Pakistan’s relevant border management agencies across five areas: development and implementation of, IBM policies, strategies and legislation; operational capacity of border agencies; investigative capacity; professionalisation of border agencies; and information sharing and peer to peer exchanges with countries in the region and along migration routes, the European Union and its Member States.
Further information: https://www.icmpd.org/our-work/projects/risk-analysis-pakistan-phase-ii-rapak-ii
Contact:
Sajid Muhmand
Team Lead
International Centre for Migration Policy Development
Email: Sajid.Muhmand@icmpd.org
Samar Saeed Akhtar
Communications, Press and Information Officer
Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan
