Of India & Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh on Monday agreed to finalize the much-awaited extradition treaty “at an early date”. India also promised to leave “no stone unturned” to track down, apprehend and hand over killers of the father of the nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and sought “additional information” from Dhaka. Draft of the extradition treaty was exchanged during the home secretary-level talks which ended on Monday with both the sides reiterating their commitment to further strengthen security cooperation and reaffirming “not to allow the territory of either country to be used for any activity inimical to each other’s interest”. “The draft (extradition treaty) has been shared and we are going through it. We are scrutinizing it,” home secretary R K Singh said at a joint press meet with his Bangladeshi counterpart Monzur Hossain. Asked about Dhaka’s position on the issue, Hossain said, “The pact will be signed at the earliest. That is our position with utmost sincerity.” The treaty, which has been under consideration for long, will pave the way for handing over each other’s fugitives including ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia. It will also act as a deterrent for criminals/insurgents in India and Bangladesh to cross over after committing crimes. During the talks that began on Saturday, Bangladesh sought India’s assistance to track the killers, including Riasaldar Mosleuddin, of Mujibur Rahman. Hossain said, “We expect that India will do the needful. We are hopeful when more information is available their law enforcement agencies will be able to hand over the culprits. We appreciate India’s efforts.”