The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Dhaka and New Delhi are set to hold a two-day bilateral meeting on cross-border security and crimes as the Indian home secretary arrived here on Friday on a two-day consultation with his Bangladesh counterpart, officials said.

Indian Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta arrived here for the annual talks with Bangladesh home secretary Abdul Karim from today, a month after foreign secretaries of the two countries met in their routine annual consultation in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Senior Home Ministry and Indian High Commission officials received Gupta on his arrival this afternoon.

"The talks between India's home secretary Madhukar Gupta and our home secretary Abdul Karim, are expected to dominate the security and other cross-border issues which concern both the neighbours," a Bangladesh home ministry spokesman told BSS.

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said the two secretaries were expected to discuss on an earlier New Delhi proposal for signing an extradition treaty to exchange fugitive "criminals".

"The talks are also expected to explore ways for increased cooperation to counter terrorism and develop a legal framework for exchange of fugitive criminals," the envoy said.

Bangladesh, however, earlier maintained that the proposed extradition treaty should take in all members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) while the recent summit of the regional grouping in Colombo signed an agreement on mutual legal cooperation on counter-terrorism and extradition issue.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India last week exchanged lists of fugitive "criminals" as chiefs of the two frontier guards held a four-day biennial meeting in Dhaka.

Bangladesh handed over an updated list of 1,648 Bangladeshi criminals hiding in India while the Indian side gave a list of 464 Indian criminals.

The home ministry officials said Dhaka would also press for the implementation of the 1974 Mujib-Indira Land Boundary Agreement, which Bangladesh ratified in 1974 and has been demanding its ratification by New Delhi for exchange of enclaves and land in areas of adverse possession.