Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin visits Pakistan, holds talks on regional security

Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin visited Pakistan after concluding a trip to Afghanistan, where he held meetings with senior Pakistani officials on bilateral relations, regional security and escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to Turkish security sources on Thursday.

During his visit to Islamabad, Kalin met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asim Malik. He was also received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The discussions covered the current state of Türkiye-Pakistan relations, prospects for greater bilateral cooperation, and key regional and international developments.

Officials also discussed the changing security situation in the Middle East following the US-Israel war with Iran, growing regional tensions, and the conflict’s political, security and economic impact on countries in the region.

They reviewed the possibility of the conflicts spreading to other countries and regions, while recent tensions between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and their potential implications for regional stability were also discussed.

The officials underscored the importance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as a basis for cooperation aimed at restoring regional stability. They also highlighted the roles of Türkiye and Pakistan in helping ease tensions and keeping diplomatic channels open.

Türkiye reiterated its commitment to supporting efforts to resolve tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, building on its previous efforts to facilitate communication between the two sides.