NEW DELHI, Sept 13: India on Monday demanded joint security operations with Dhaka to dismantle alleged anti-Indian insurgent camps in Bangladesh.
The demand comes ahead of the first talks in four years between the home secretaries of the two South Asian nations on subjects including illegal immigration by Bangladeshis and New Delhi's assertions over the existence of rebel camps in the adjoining country.
"New Delhi will emphasise on joint operations by the Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles at places in Bangladesh where camps of Indian insurgent groups are located," Indian Home Ministry Joint Secretary Rajeev Agarwal told reporters.
Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh is scheduled to begin the talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart in Dhaka on Wednesday. "We have already given a separate list to Bangladesh on the presence of insurgent camps in that country and we will now give them a new list of 15 (insurgent) leaders who are presently lodged in their jails and ask them to hand them to India," he said.
India says separatist rebels stage hit-and-run guerrilla attacks on targets in five of its seven revolt-wracked northeastern states from up to 150 camps in Bangladesh but Dhaka denies the country shelters any Indian militants.
Indian home secretary Singh during his talks would also express New Delhi's "deep concern" over the alleged smuggling of weapons and counterfeit Indian currency from Bangladesh, Agarwal said. -AFP
