By IANS,
New Delhi : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday said India and Bangladesh are carrying on discussions to firm up an extradition treaty, taking their counter-terror cooperation further in the wake of three new security pacts.
“To end terrorism, we want to cooperate. We can go to any extent to cooperate,” Sheikh Hasina told reporters on the last day of her four-day visit to India.
The two countries need to stand against terrorism and can work together in this area in a “friendly atmosphere”, she added.
“For extradition treaty, discussions are going on. We have signed three agreements. Side by side, discussions are going on on the extradition treaty,” Hasina told reporters here while responding to a question.
She reiterated the assurance she gave Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their talks Monday that the Bangladeshi territory will not be allowed to be used for anti-India terror activities.
India and Bangladesh signed three pacts Monday to lay out a framework to advance their security and counter-terror cooperation, setting the stage for an extradition treaty.
They included three treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, mutual transfer of convicted prisoners, and cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking.
The three security-related pacts marked a breakthrough on an issue over which bilateral ties had suffered during the previous Bangladesh government’s rule.
The pacts will help New Delhi to press Dhaka for the extradition of suspected insurgents from its northeastern states who have taken shelter in Bangladeshi territory over the years.