S. Asian terror database proposed

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NEW DELHI, Oct 23: Member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on Tuesday proposed the creation of a database among them for a coordinated action against terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber crimes and financial frauds.

On the first day of the three-day meeting of Saarc home ministers, the police chiefs of these countries agreed on sharing information among police organisations to check various trans-border crimes, Indian reports said quoting home ministry sources.

Reports said the delegates spoke of the need for having a better institutional mechanism so that coordinated action could be taken to meet the common challenges.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah are expected here on Wednesday to attend 6th Saarc conference of interior ministers.

The home ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are to meet onThursday after their home secretaries deliberate on measures to harmonise national legislations and procedures on the second day of the meet.

The Saarc conference comes a day after the Indo-Pak Joint Terror Mechanism met here when India sought Pakistan’s cooperation in tracking down suspects in the recent bomb blasts in Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and in Ajmer Dargah.

“There is a clear link between the three attacks,” Indian minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal said.

The Saarc meeting assumes significance as it comes in the backdrop of a series of terror attacks in India and Pakistan and a daring air raid by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on a Sri Lankan Air Force base.

APP adds: Pakistan will take up the issue of denial of Saarc visa exemption to Pakistanis during the home ministers conference.

According to sources, when Pakistanis land at Indian airports to attend Saarc meetings they are subjected to scrutiny and other lengthy procedural matters despite holding visa exemption tickets.

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