India-B’desh to strengthen anti-terror mechanism

India and Bangladesh on Monday decided to strengthen anti-terror mechanism besides increasing cooperation to deal with border crimes, including smuggling of arms, narcotics and cattle.

Growing activities of dreaded terror group ISIS in Indian subcontinent, increased presence of Jehadi groups in Bangladesh and sharing of intelligence also dominated the Indo-Bangladesh Home Secretary level talks held here.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed working of institutional arrangements, security related issues, cooperation in prevention of illegal activities along the borders, border management issues, an official statement said.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mozammel Haque Khan led their respective teams in the talks.

The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and conducive to greater cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.

Both sides flagged the menace of smuggling of cattle, narcotics and arms through the porous Indo-Bangladesh border and agreed to work together to check them.

Bangladesh side requested for Indian cooperation in nabbing its most wanted criminals, especially those who were involved in war crimes and assassination of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Both sides exchanged notes about developments and investigations following the July 1 terror attack at a cafe in Dhaka. Bangladesh has been on edge ever since the terror attack.

India started acting against controversial Mumbai-based Islamic preacher Zakir Naik after he came under the scanner of the security agencies when Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Daily Star’ reported that one of the perpetrators of the terror attack in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

The Islamic orator is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

Naik is popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects. The Mumbai-based preacher who is abroad, has not returned to India ever since the controversy came to light.

The last Indo-Bangla Home Secretary level talk was held in Dhaka in in November 2015.