Islamabad, Aug 4 (IANS): Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday emphasised on mutual cooperation among the Saarc countries as key for regional progress.

Addressing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) interior ministers meeting here, Sharif said that the South Asian region is blessed with resources. He stressed that the region should work together to combat the problems it faces, Geo News reported.

“Mutual cooperation is important for regional progress,” he added.

Saarc had made significant progress despite challenges, he noted.

According to Radio Pakistan, Sharif said that Pakistan was committed to jointly working with the member states in fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes.

Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said, “Saarc will have to play its role to solve problems of the region. We will have to adopt a common strategy to combat crimes.”

Nisar added that all countries in Saarc will make efforts to counter drugs and maintain peace in the region.

He added that the region faced crimes like human trafficking and money laundering.

The meeting of Saarc interior ministers kicked off in Islamabad on Wednesday with regional affairs, terrorism, prevention of drugs and human trafficking on its agenda.

The meeting is being attended by interior ministers of all Saarc states except Bangladesh. Dhaka, however, is being represented by senior diplomats and officials.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the conference. He, however, will not hold a one-on-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.