Ahead of the Bimstec summit next week in Kathmandu, which will be attended by PM Modi, Nepal Parliament has finally endorsed a regional treaty for combating international terrorism signed and ratified earlier by most other member-countries. This is significant for India with Saarc failing to make much headway in handling issues involving regional cooperation, especially terrorism.

India had proposed a Bimstec Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking. The Convention was adopted in 2008 in New Delhi by the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism of Bimstec member states.

The convention seeks to provide a legal basis for cooperation among the law enforcement agencies of Bimstec nations for combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. “In particular, member States will provide widest possible measures of mutual assistance in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and suppression of crimes,” said to a government statement issued earlier.

After the ratification, Nepal home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said that the motive of the cooperation amongst the Bimstec nations now was aimed to extend further in the fields of ‘International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking through this convention.

Courtesy: Times of India: 25 Aug 2018