Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh and India on Tuesday agreed to work together to root out terrorism, insurgency and illegal entry of drugs through bilateral cooperation and intelligence sharing.
The Bangladesh side at the meeting raised the border killing issue and the Indian side raised existence of Indian terrorist groups in Bangladesh territory, sources said.
“Apart from these, the two countries have agreed to extradite detainees and sharing of information on militancy,” Senior Home Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan told journalists after the two-day 17th Home Secretary-level meeting between the two countries at a city hotel.
Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs Mozammel Haque Khan led an 18-member Bangladeshi delegation while his counterpart Rajiv Mehrishi led the 15-member Indian delegation in the talks.
Both the delegations comprised representatives of the border forces, department of
narcotics control, home and foreign offices of the two countries. “We have agreed to root out terrorism and insurgency. We have discussed extradition of detainees and also agreed to share information on militancy to each other,” Mozammel Haque Khan said.
In the meeting, issues relating to security and border management and terrorism and militancy were discussed. The countries also agreed to stop killing along Bangladesh-India borders and trespassing, resisting women and child trafficking and controlling narcotic.
Mozammel Haque Khan said from Bangladesh side they talked on killing of Bangladeshi citizens at borders, extradition of wanted criminals, mostly gangsters who took refuge in India, human trafficking, drug smuggling and cross-boundary crimes
Replying to a query about Indian claim that Indian terrorist groups are in Bangladesh territory, he said there are no insurgent groups of India in Bangladesh.
“We have also discussed handing over of the hardened criminals, who are now believed to be hiding in India,” the Home Secretary said.
However, he said both India and Bangladesh are not confirmed about the whereabouts of convict killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in India.
“If the convict killers are found in India, they will be sent back to Bangladesh,” the Bangladesh Home Secretary said, adding that the Indian side focused on cattle smuggling and illegal infiltration.
The Secretary-level meeting took place days after deportation of ULFA General Secretary Anup Chetia from Bangladesh and subsequent deportation of one of the most wanted criminals in Bangladesh, Nur Hossain, from India.
According to law enforcement agencies, around 40 top criminals are either in Indian jails or are hiding in that country.
He said with the signing of Land Boundary Agreement and its implementation both Bangladesh and India have been enjoying the warmest ever relationship.
About border killing, Mozammel Haque Khan said both the countries have agreed to reduce such accidents to zero level.
“We will build up awareness among the people of Bangladesh and India to discourage them not to cross the borders illegally,” he said, adding this will help reduce border killing.
He said if the two countries could realise this goal, it would be easier for BGB and BSF to perform their duties and such killings could be stopped.
“I told the Indian counterpart to stop trafficking of drugs through the neighbouring border. And they assured me of full hearted support in this regard,” he said, adding Bangladesh is not a narcotic producing country.
Sources said the Indians assured Bangladesh of handing over the top Bangladeshi criminals hiding in India following examination of legal matters. They thanked Bangladesh for deporting Chetia and asked for other Indian criminals in Bangladesh.
It was only on November 11 when Bangladesh deported Ulfa leader Anup Chetia, and a day after that India handed over prime accused in the sensational seven-murder case of Narayanganj Nur Hossain.
