Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Epress
Date: February 7, 2002
Expressing concern over the spurt
in terrorist activity along the Indo-Nepal border, the Union Home Ministry
today conveyed to Nepalese authorities the urgent need to crack the whip
on a large number of illegal madrasas which have sprung up on their side
of the border.
Sources said a message to this effect
was sent across to Nepal today during a day-long interaction between a
Nepalese delegation and a team of Indian officials led by Home Secretary
Kamal Pandey.
The Nepalese team was led by Nepal
Home Secretary Keshav Pradhan Bhandari. ''Cooperation between the two countries
in combating crime and terrorism along the border'' has been described
by officials as one of the key issues to be taken up at the two-day meeting
that began in the capital today.
The two countries, it is learnt,
also plan to ease travel restrictions. In the post IC-814 hijacking phase,
both governments had made it mandatory for travellers to carry proper ID
documents. Officials said that while the new travel restrictions did not
affect India much, Nepal lost heavily. The royal massacre last year coupled
with stepped up Maoist violence only added to the Himalayan kingdom's woes.
Home Ministry officials said the
two sides have decided to review the revised system of identification of
travellers' documents. They added that the two countries are also moving
towards setting up of an ''institutional and legal'' framework for ''combating
terrorism jointly''. The two sides agreed to exchange operational intelligence
on this.
