India Silently Traps Pakistan's ISI Terror Network In Nepal

India silently traps Pakistan’s ISI terror network established and operated from Nepal – Pakistan calls for counter measures

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/6084.asp

Sudhir Chadda
Dec. 28, 2005

The Foreign Office of Pakistan has warned the government that India and Nepal were in the process of finalizing a "secret extradition treaty" that might endanger safety of Pakistanis there as agreement would give full power to New Delhi to get hold of any Pakistani national working or visiting Kathmandu. When contacted by The News, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri refused to comment on the subject.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has proposed to the government that as a "counter step" Pakistan should immediately sign an agreement with Nepal to save its own citizens from being extradited to India from Kathmandu. In the light of Foreign Office and Interior Ministry's joint proposal, FO officials confirmed the cabinet has approved singing of an agreement with Nepal in one of recent meeting held with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair.

The cabinet was also warned by these two ministries that if the treaty was not signed, no Pakistani would be safe in Nepal as India would have legal authority to get any Pakistani from Nepal in the light of new agreement. Sources in the Foreign Office said it was a diplomatic defeat for Pakistan and a big success on the part of India to get Nepal agreed to sign extradition treaty against Pakistani nationals as Kathmandu always enjoyed good diplomatic relations with Islamabad.

Foreign Office documents also suggest that Director (NBBS) Zaheer A. Janjua had written a note to the Ministry of Interior giving details about the treaty being signed between India and Nepal. Zaheer, in his note, had pointed out that India and Nepal were in the process of finalizing the accord. It added that Pakistani mission in Kathmandu has informed the Foreign Office the treaty, draft of which is being negotiated, contains a clause relating to extradition of third country nationals.

Zaheer's note said that there is a strong apprehension the clause would be used by Indians to target Pakistani nationals working in or visiting Nepal. It said that Pakistani mission was of the opinion that Islamabad should also enter into an extradition treaty with Nepal or any other similar bilateral instruments to safeguard the interests of Pakistani citizens.

The FO had asked the Ministry of Interior to send a draft treaty with Nepal that could be forwarded to the concerned Nepal authorities. Interior Ministry has now got approval for negotiations with Nepal to sign a treaty. Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah said that after 9/11 Pakistan had signed several extradition treaties with many countries keeping security environment in view and if one was signed with Nepal it would not be something unusual. When contacted, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam replied, "I need to check this," before switching off her mobile phone.