ISLAMABAD, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Tuesday launched a three-year technical assistance program to strengthen the criminal justice response in Pakistan to counter terrorism, officials said.
The EU and UNODC officials said the Pakistan Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) program, which was launched at a ceremony in Islamabad, is aimed at supporting the efforts of government of Pakistan to counter the threats of terrorism.
The EU will provide the financial support of 7 million euros (7.61 million U.S. dollars), a statement from the UN office in Islamabad said.
The project will improve the investigative processes and promote the use of forensic evidence during the prosecution stages of terrorism related cases. It will also strengthen the coordination between the terrorism-hit northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department, Police and Prosecution, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police.
"More than ever there is a need for strong international collaboration to counter terrorism. Counter terrorism will remain a top priority in the EU's security dialogue with Pakistan and the PACT is a logical next step in this longstanding solid partnership," said Jean-François Cautain, EU Ambassador to Pakistan in his remarks.
The UNODC Country Representative Cesar Guedes said "UNODC has been collaborating with the government of Pakistan for over 37 years and for the first time it would be providing assistance in the area of counter terrorism by working closely with the relevant stakeholders at both provincial and federal levels in partnership with the European Union."
Member of NACTA Choudhry Muhammad Asghar appreciated the close working relation of EU and the UN with the government of Pakistan for making collaborative efforts in eliminating terrorism.
"The government of Pakistan is in the process of implementing a National Action Plan against terrorism and the objectives of the signed project would directly contribute towards its execution," he said.
UNODC is the key UN entity with the mandate and expertise to deliver counter-terrorism legal technical assistance to member states for the ratification, legislative incorporation and implementation of the international legal instruments against terrorism.
