Pakistan, Russia renew commitment to counter terrorist propaganda in information space

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Monday renewed their commitment to fight back terrorist propaganda in the information space, the Pakistani foreign office said. 
The understanding was reached at the 9th meeting of the Russia-Pakistan Joint Working Group on Combatting International Terrorism and Other Challenges to Security in Moscow on November 22. 
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged ideas and discussed a broad range of issues relating to global fight against terrorism and extremism, including existing challenges as well as new and emerging threats to international and regional peace and security. 
“Russia and Pakistan acknowledged and appreciated each other’s efforts in countering international terrorism, underscored the need for greater collaboration between the two countries on addressing the challenges to security and renewed their commitment to counter the spread of terrorist propaganda in the information space, particularly on the Internet, and the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. 
“They highlighted that the spread of terrorist mindset and ideologies and emergence of new forms of terrorism posed a grave challenge. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue dialogue on countering financing of terrorism.” 

As part of this strategic dialogue, Russia and Pakistan conducted a thorough exchange of assessment of global and regional terrorist threats, particularly in Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa, and Central and South Asia, according to the statement. 
Both countries agreed to further broaden their bilateral engagement on issues relating to combatting international terrorism and other challenges to security, and reaffirmed their willingness to work closely with each other on issues of common concern at key international platforms like the United Nations and regional bodies like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 
The next meeting of the Russia-Pakistan working group will be held in 2022. 
Earlier this month, Pakistan hosted special representatives from the United States, China and Russia for the Troika Plus meeting to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. 
The high-level meeting in the Pakistani capital came at a time when the Taliban’s interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was also in Islamabad to discuss bilateral relations. 
This was the first visit of Muttaqi, the top Afghan diplomat, to Pakistan since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15.