India, BD to sign liberalized visa pact

India and Bangladesh may sign a liberalized visa agreement and extradition treaty later this month when home minister Sushilkumar Shinde visits Dhaka for three-day home minister-level talks between the two countries, beginning on January 28.

The new visa agreement, called revised travel arrangements, will remove some restrictions on visit of each other`s businesspersons, senior citizens above 65 years of age and children below 12 — on the lines of the new visa regime between India and Pakistan.

“Drafts of both revised travel arrangements and extradition treaty have been finalized. These are most likely to be signed by Shinde and his Bangladeshi counterpart M K Alamgir during the January 28-30 talks,” a senior official said.

Introducing time-frame for issuing non-diplomatic visa, simplification of multiple-entry visa for businessperson, `visa-on-arrival` for senior citizens and children, allowing additional entries for medical visa, issuing group visa to tourists and extending the duration of transit visa are some of areas which may see changes in the new agreement.

Though both countries have been working on signing the extradition treaty for long, the proposal of the new visa agreement got a push during the home secretary-level talks in Dhaka in October last year. That move, incidentally, came over a month after India signed a liberalized visa agreement with Pakistan.

The extradition treaty, if signed, will pave the way for deportation of ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia and many other northeast insurgents who have been hiding in Bangladesh. Similarly, it will also help Dhaka in getting back its criminals who are currently lodged in Indian jails.

India has been pressing for Chetia`s deportation for long. The ULFA militant has been in a Dhaka jail following his arrest in 1997 on the charge of entering Bangladesh without valid documents. He had, however, moved court seeking asylum in Bangladesh on security reason, making it `legally` difficult for Dhaka to execute New Delhi`s demand.

“The extradition treaty between the two countries will end this legal hurdle,” said an official.

Cross-border movement of criminals and terrorists, border firings, exchange of Indian and Bangladeshi prisoners who are languishing in each other`s jails after having completed their sentence, border management, circulation of fake Indian currency notes, illegal migration, human trafficking and narcotics smuggling are among the issues which will figure during the talks between Shinde and Alamgir.

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