POREG VIEW:  Speaking to reporters at Chottakhola in southern Tripura, where had laid the foundation of a memorial dedicated to 1971 Liberation War Heroes, .Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni reportedly said that her government would be open to the idea of having an extradition treaty with India. She slipped in the caveat ‘if it (treaty) is required’.

‘Till date there is no extradition treaty between these two nations, but if required then we can always exchange arrested criminals, even handover them to any nation within the mechanism of law. Today, it is not there but we can always have the treaty in the future if necessary’ Moni told a questioner.

Her statement marks a gradual progression in the efforts at stepping up cooperation in checking cross-border crimes and terrorism. That the Bangladesh Minister deemed it fair and proper to comment on the possibility of Extradition Treaty is significant.

Apart from other crimes, Tripura border belt experiences cattle thefts- some times the culprits come from across the border; some times the culprits from this side of the border run across the border for hiding. The border police of the two countries have been grappling with the problem for years with no solution as yet in sight. This crime graph has been compounded by the entry of fake currency dealers, arms smugglers and terrorists.

Delhi and Dhaka have institutionalised the mechanism for cooperation in matters of crime at the level of BSF-BDR and the Home Secretaries level.

Moni further said that Bangladesh is committed to fight against terrorism and not a single inch of land would be allowed to use for any kind of unlawful activities. ‘Bangladesh will not allow even a single inch of its territory for any type of militant activities. We are also regularly proving this by our activities. We are happy to say that we are getting cooperation in this from all section and so we are able to execute it. I do not want to refer to any specific case at this moment but I can only say that the Bangladesh government had declared a fight against militant activities and will stick by it,’ Moni added.

Since terrorist groups backed by outside forces are active in Bangladesh targeting India and Bangladesh as well, it is essential to put in place a mechanism for extradition of accused persons to stand trail in the land where they commit their heinous crimes. Both India and Bangladesh are wedded to the rule of law.

The memorial for which Minister Moni laid the foundation stone is dedicated to Indian soldiers and Bangladeshi freedom fighters, who had made the supreme sacrifice during the Bangladesh Liberation War.