India to push for convention on mutual legal assistance at Saarc

In the backdrop of the suicide bomb attack on the Indian mission in Kabul in which two senior officials were killed, India plans to push for a convention on mutual legal assistance among Saarc nations over criminal matters at the upcoming Saarc Summit in Colombo. “We have initiated discussions on the draft of convention of mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. This will enable us to implement action against such crimes in the neighbourhood with regional cooperation,” the external affairs minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, told a regional conference on “Deepening South Asian Economic Integration” here today. Mr Mukherjee asked Saarc governments to collectively ensure that growth and development in the region takes place in a crime-free atmosphere where people feel secure. “The recent bomb blast in Kabul that targeted our embassy emphasises how vulnerable South Asia continues to be to terrorism,” he said. Later, the Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for the “Brief for Negotiation” to finalise the text of the Saarc Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters during the 35th standing committee meeting of Saarc on 29 and 30 July and in the special session of legal advisors on 27 July in Colombo. On the transport sector, Mr Mukherjee said, “We have upgraded our railway linkages up to the border points of Raxaul-Birganj and Jogbani-Biratnagar, as identified by the Saarc transport ministers meeting last year. We also propose to accelerate the upgradation of the road at Akhaura-Agartala border point shortly.” By Ms.Bobby Aanand, Metropolitan Jury.

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