http://www.newagebd.com/2009/oct/08/front.html
TRANSFER OF SENTENCED PERSONS
Dhaka for early deals with Delhi
Raheed Ejaz
Dhaka is moving fast to sign the proposed agreement on transfer of 壮entenced persons・with New Delhi which is apparently reluctant to pursue an extradition treaty following controversies.
Officials of both foreign affairs and home ministries in Dhaka are learnt to have been in agreement to go ahead with the move to sign the agreement on transfer of 壮entenced persons・which would allow convicted prisoners to move to their country of origin by choice.
Despite its earlier insistence on an extradition treaty, New Delhi is now least interested in persuading Dhaka to sign the agreement in view of hesitations on Bangladesh痴 part and also legal limitations that it might not be possible under the purview of an extradition treaty to hand over detainees like ULFA leader Anup Chetia because of their political identity, a home ministry source said referring to international laws.
However, the two ministries here have differences of opinions over the move to sign another agreement for mutual legal assistance for dealing with criminal matters. It would be redundant to sign such an agreement which had already been signed by all member countries of SAARC, said the home ministry sources.
But the foreign ministry pointed out that the regional treaty was yet to take legal effect as only three countries, including Bangladesh and India, ratified the agreement under a multilateral framework. 羨lso as we pledged to sign three agreements with India, we should go ahead with the move,・a foreign ministry source said.
The third accord, as agreed upon by Dhaka and New Delhi recently, is about combating international terrorism, organised crime and drug trafficking.
All three agreements are likely to be signed when the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, will be visiting India sometime later this year. The two countries agreed in principle to sign the agreements during the visit by the foreign affairs minister, Dipu Moni, to New Delhi in September.
About the agreement on transfer of 壮entenced persons・ a home ministry source told New Age that the interim government had preferred a go-slow policy in view of the risks involved with such an agreement.
禅his might pave the way for push-in of Bangla-speaking people, be they Indian nationals, into Bangladesh territory. The agreement may give India an upper hand in using it for the purpose of not only push-in but also of claiming Indian citizens convicted in Bangladesh be sent back,・the source said attributing the observation to jail authorities in Dhaka.
However, the foreign minister, after her Delhi visit, made it clear that the proposed agreement on 奏ransfer or exchange of sentenced persons・would be applicable only to those who were serving prison terms on the other side of the border and had applied to return to their native country for serving the rest of the prison term.
禅he issue of handing Anup Chetia over to the Indian authorities will not come under the purview of the deal as he has already served out his prison term in Bangladesh,・she said.
