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India-B’desh extradition treaty on cards
India and Bangladesh on Monday set in motion a comprehensive mechanism to crackdown anti-national activities, exchange of prisoners, drug trafficking and improve security cooperation between the two countries. Both sides also agreed to operationalise Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) signed last year.
Assuring that Bangladesh soil will not be allowed for carrying out anti-India activities, Dhaka said that the fugitives like ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia will be handed over to India “at the earliest”. The two sides thus agreed to expedite the signing of Extradition Treaty. India also extended its commitment not to allow any anti-Bangladesh activities from its soil.
Addressing a joint Press conference here at the end of the 12th India-Bangladesh Home Secretary-level talks, Bangladesh Home Secretary Monzur Hossain said Dhaka was keen to further improve security cooperation with New Delhi and have “zero tolerance” to anti-Indian forces.
“Anti-India forces are not active in Bangladesh. We don’t allow them to do anything like that. But some time some things do happen, that is a different issue. But they will not be tolerated. We have zero tolerance for them,” he said in the Press conference along with Union Home Secretary RK Singh.
On the possibility of deporting Chetia, languishing in a jail in Dhaka since 1997, Hossain said due to some legal issues, he has not been deported. He hoped those issues would be resolved soon and Chetia will be handed over to India “at the earliest”. “Legal matters are not in our hands... We can’t comment on them. They are sub judice. Once that is done, we will take appropriate action at the earliest,” he said.
Singh said discussions on Chetia were on and New Delhi was happy with the status and the steps being taken by Bangladesh.
The joint statement issued at the end of the talks stated, “Both sides agreed to operationalise Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP), Agreement on Combating Organised Crime and Illegal Drug Trafficking which were signed during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister to India in January 2010 and to implement the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) signed during the visit of Minister of Home Affairs of India to Bangladesh in July 2011. Similarly, both sides agreed that Extradition Treaty, under consideration by both the Governments, may be finalised at an early date,”
Dhaka sought India’s assistance in tracking, apprehending and handing over the killers of the architect of Bangladesh’s independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. India agreed to extend all possible cooperation while seeking additional information in this regard.
The meeting noted the cooperation extended by Bangladesh to prevent smuggling of fake Indian currency notes into India and agreed to further enhance the level of cooperation and vigilance in this regard.
Asked as to when the Teesta River water sharing agreement will be signed, Hossain said the issue was not under their purview but hoped that “it will take place very soon. That is our hunch.”
