Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik represented Pakistan at the International Justice Summit 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and held bilateral meetings with the justice ministers of Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The Press Information Department (PID) issued the details in a statement on Tuesday, October 13.
Pakistan’s position on migration and shared responsibility
The summit brought together senior officials, policymakers, legal experts and judicial professionals from around the world to exchange views on strengthening justice systems, promoting the rule of law and advancing legal reforms, the PID statement said.
During the summit, Malik took part in a panel discussion titled “Migration, Sharing of Responsibility and Human Dignity.” He set out Pakistan’s position on refugee protection, humanitarian assistance, the equitable sharing of international responsibility and addressing the root causes of forced displacement.
Sideline meeting with President Erdoğan
On the final day of the summit, President Erdoğan addressed the participants. Malik met the Turkish president on the sidelines of the event, according to the statement.
Bilateral talks with Türkiye and Azerbaijan
On the sidelines of the summit, Malik held a bilateral meeting with Akın Gürlek, the Minister of Justice of Türkiye. The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest and explored ways to expand cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye in justice, legal reform, judicial cooperation and institutional capacity building. The meeting reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening existing cooperation and deepening institutional ties between the two countries. The justice-sector talks add to a growing partnership that recently produced an anti-terror pact to boost security cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye.
Malik also held a bilateral meeting with Farid Ahmadov, the Minister of Justice of Azerbaijan. Their discussion focused on opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in justice, legal reforms, judicial cooperation and institutional capacity building, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to expanding existing cooperation. The meeting follows Pakistan and Azerbaijan’s recent push to deepen bilateral ties after a phone call between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Ilham Aliyev.
Malik’s Istanbul visit follows his central role in the federal government’s recent legal deliberations at home, where he recently gave Barrister Aqeel Malik’s remarks on the duration of the KP emergency after the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meetings with Uganda, DR Congo and Bosnia and Herzegovina
The minister also met Norbert Mao, Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Guillaume Ngefa Atondoko Andali, the Minister of State in charge of Justice and Keeper of the Seals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Elvir Mahmuzić, the Deputy Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the PID, these engagements provided opportunities to exchange views on international legal cooperation, judicial engagement and institutional partnerships. Malik also interacted with international legal experts, law professors and legal professionals on strengthening cooperation and professional links in the legal and judicial sectors. For more stories like this, see PakMirror’s international news coverage.
What the visit signals
The PID said Pakistan’s participation in the International Justice Summit 2026 reflects the country’s continued engagement in international legal dialogue and its commitment to promoting judicial cooperation, legal reform and institutional partnerships with countries around the world.
The Istanbul engagement is the latest in a run of Pakistani outreach on the justice and security front, underlining how questions of law, security and regional cooperation are running side by side in Islamabad’s foreign engagements.
