Terrorists still operate from Bangladesh: PM’s envoy

Satinder K. Lamba, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special envoy on Afghanistan-Pakistan, Thursday said terrorists and insurgents continue to operate from Bangladesh despite the neighbouring government’s efforts to contain them.

“It is well known that terrorists, insurgents, militants and criminal elements respect no civilian law and territorial boundaries. Some of these groups and their associated agencies continue to have their hideouts and network of the fake Indian currency notes in Bangladesh,” Lamba said.

Lamba was speaking at a seminar on India-Bangladesh security organised by Delhi-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation in association with the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI).

The envoy noted that closer cooperation between the two countries was a key to curbing terror.

“There was a need to sustain the current levels of cooperation to jointly eradicate the menace of insurgency, terrorism and militancy from our soil,” he said.

Lamba said that India greatly appreciated the efforts of the Dhaka government in taking action against the “inimical elements operating from Bangladesh”.

He also stressed on the need to urgently finalise the extradition treaty with Bangladesh that the two countries are currently negotiating over.

Noting that three security related agreements have already been signed between the countries, Lamba hoped that the treaty will be finalised soon to complete the process of putting in place the framework for cooperation on security related matters.

A 12-member Bangladesh delegation, led by BEI president and former foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan, also attended the conference — the fourth in the series — that will conclude Friday.

The conference is held in India and Bangladesh alternatively, the last being in Dhaka.

Lamba pointed out that due to the porous nature of the India-Bangladesh border, there has been considerable cross border criminal activity, including illegal trade in arms and explosives, counterfeit currency, trafficking in narcotics and trafficking of women and children.

“These problems pose a threat to the social and economic well-being of both India and Bangladesh.”

He assured the delegates that India was determined to complete the ratification process and implement the agreement on the land boundary, signed during the last visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sobhan said “close cooperation and hard work was necessary to sustain the progressing relationship between the two countries”.