India, Bangladesh plan joint anti-terror meet in what would be first such exercise in South Asia

NEW DELHI: In what would be the first of its kind meet in South Asia India and Bangladesh may jointly host a regional conference to explore measures to counter terrorism and check radicalisation, a move aimed at furthering the idea first mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build an anti-terror narrative in South Asia.
Modi had floated the idea when he met his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Sunday on the sidelines of Brics and Bimstec meets in Goa. ET had reported earlier that Hasina may visit India in early part of December to give a further impetus to the bilateral partnership.

Other South Asian nations may join the conference as observers but Pakistan, blamed by most Saarc nations for spoiling the atmosphere in the run-up to the now cancelled Saarc Summit in Islamabad, will be excluded from that list, according to officials. This meet could turn out be yet another initiative to shape regional mechanism minus Islamabad.

Counter-terror partnership has emerged as a key pillar in the burgeoning Indo-Bangla ties ever since Hasina returned to power in 2009. Months after being elected as the prime minister for the second term, she handed over insurgents and fugitives wanted in India. The partnership has been bolstered after the July 1 attack in a posh Dhaka café following which both sides expanded their joint anti-terror mechanism. On Sunday, Modi heaped praises on Hasina for her counter-terror measures as she explained her government’s multi-pronged approach to combat the menace.

Earlier, Bangladesh pulled out of the Saarc Summit accusing Pakistan of repeated interference in its internal affairs. Bangladesh also supported India after the terror attack on an army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir last month and was the first nation that backed India’s September 29 cross-LoC surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Dhaka has also emerged as a strong partner for India in South Asia, pushing for connectivity network and development projects.

People familiar with the developments said other Saarc states that boycotted the Islamabad summit may also join the regional conference.

In Goa, Hasina urged Bimstec leaders to find out the mentors, masterminds, abettors, financiers, arms suppliers and trainers of terrorists to defeat terrorism.

“We must be prepared to take strong actions against terrorists and their supporters. I firmly believe that within Bimstec we should be able to strengthen our cooperation to address terrorism and the rise of violent extremism,” she said.

Meanwhile, officials from the both sides have started working on Hasina’s visit to Delhi, possibly early December.

Though Bangladesh remains hopeful about the long pending Teesta water sharing deal, officials said it is not a condition for the bilateral visit.