The Daily Star, Vol. 4 Num 279
Thu. March 11, 2004
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh yesterday rejected an Indian proposal for a joint crackdown
with Indian forces on the extremists of that country along and across
the Bangladesh-India border.
Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury conveyed Dhaka's position on the
proposal to visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank at a meeting in
Dhaka yesterday, according to sources.
Shashank proposed at the meeting that Bangladesh, like Bhutan's recent
crackdown on Indian secessionists in that country, launch a similar
operation along and across the border.
The Indian foreign secretary made separate visits to the home minister
and State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar to discuss
cross-border crime, gunrunning and drug smuggling, trafficking in women
and children and other bilateral issues at their offices at the
Secretariat.
Sources said both sides agreed to consider consular access for Indian
and Bangladeshi nationals held in each other's prisons. The home
minister said an inter-ministerial committee was also working on this
issue.
A home ministry press release said the two countries were currently
studying some proposed measures, including joint patrol in border areas,
consular access to prisons and signing of an extradition treaty.
Both the sides agreed to enhance collaboration between their respective
police and border forces and to increase vigil with a view to checking
drug trafficking, arms smuggling and trafficking in women and children,
the release said.
India also expressed keen interest and offered assistance in the ongoing
police reforms in Bangladesh, it added.
Home Secretary Omar Farooq, Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury,
Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India Hemayet Uddin and Indian High
Commissi-oner in Dhaka Veena Sikri were present, among others, in the
meeting.