PM Shehbaz urges more legal migration opportunities for Pakistanis in Europe
- Shehbaz Sharif called for wider legal migration pathways for Pakistani skilled workers and professionals.
- EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner praised Pakistan’s efforts, citing a 64% reduction in irregular migration to Europe.
- Pakistan and the EU agreed to strengthen cooperation on legal migration, border security and institutional coordination.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the European Union to expand legal migration opportunities for Pakistani skilled workers and professionals, saying this could help address Europe’s labour shortages while protecting migrants from smuggling networks.
Mr. Magnus Brunner, European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, today. https://t.co/y073eH6avm
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) October 13, 2026
He made the call during a meeting in Islamabad with European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, who was visiting Pakistan for the first time.
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Shehbaz said efforts to curb irregular migration must be supported by practical routes for safe, orderly and legal movement. He highlighted Pakistan’s measures against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, including legislative reforms, stronger institutions, improved enforcement and international cooperation.
وفاقی وزیرداخلہ محسن نقوی سے یورپین کمشنر برائے داخلی امور و مائیگریشن @magnusbrunner کی ملاقات دونوں رہنماؤں کے درمیان وفود کی سطح پربھی مذاکرات ہوئے یورپین کمشنر برائے داخلہ امور و مائیگریشن نے غیر قانونی مائیگریشن کے خلاف پاکستان کے اقدامات کو سراہا https://t.co/lHaDXUtR6O
— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) October 13, 2026
The prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the EU across all eight pillars of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan 2019, which includes migration and mobility.
Brunner welcomed Pakistan’s measures and the cooperation provided by its government. He expressed confidence that continued progress would help create more legal migration opportunities and support labour mobility benefiting both Pakistan and the European Union.
In a separate meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad, Brunner said Pakistan’s actions had contributed to a 64% reduction in irregular migration to Europe. He also praised the Federal Investigation Agency’s professional capabilities despite its limited resources.
The commissioner said reducing irregular migration could help open additional pathways for legal migration.
Naqvi reiterated Pakistan’s zero-tolerance policy towards illegal migration, saying the government’s next goal was its complete elimination following the reported 64% decline. He stressed that closer cooperation between Pakistan and the EU was essential to achieving that target.
The two sides discussed expanding legal migration opportunities, particularly for skilled workers, and agreed to strengthen collaboration on border security, border management, migration and institutional cooperation.
The discussions come amid continuing concern over deaths along migration routes worldwide. In a statement issued on April 21, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said around 7,900 people died or went missing during migration in 2025.
That brought the number of deaths and disappearances documented by its Missing Migrants Project since 2014 to more than 80,000.
The agency warned that the lack of accessible, safe migration pathways was pushing people towards dangerous irregular journeys and urged governments to demonstrate the political will needed to save lives.
It said the recorded figures represented only a minimum estimate of the true toll, underscoring the need for urgent action to prevent migrant deaths and support families left searching for missing relatives.
