Govt. talking to neighbours on terrorism issue

NEW DELHI, APRIL 20. The Government is in touch with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Thailand about misuse of their territories by insurgents and militants of the North-East, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Ajit Kumar Panja, informed the Rajya Sabha today.

All the countries had assured India that they would not allow any anti-India activities prejudicial to its security interests on their soil, Mr. Panja said in a written reply. India and Bhutan were in constant touch to find a solution to the presence of Bodo and ULFA militants in Bhutanese territory.

India was also regularly taking up security-related issues, including cross-border terrorism and activities of North- East insurgents with Bangladesh. India was also in touch with Myanmar and Thailand.

To another question, Mr. Panja said the ULFA leadership was in close touch with some officials of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. There was also information that some ULFA leaders had procured foreign passports through fraudulent means with the assistance of officials of the High Commission.

The Government was also vigilant about Pakistan's involvement in printing of counterfeit currency, Mr. Panja said, adding that a Pakistan embassy employee in Kathmandu was arrested recently while passing off fake Indian currency to an undercover officer in Nepal.

Chinese maps

Meanwhile, India has taken up with China the issue of incorrect depiction of Sikkim as a separate country outside India in Chinese official maps.

India had conveyed to China that it expected that country to acknowledge the reality of Sikkim as an integral part of India, and that China's position on Sikkim was not in conformity with the principles of Panchsheel. India had also conveyed its security concerns and that sensitivity to each other's concerns was necessary for a productive dialogue.

Both countries would like to address unresolved bilateral issues in a meaningful manner, he added.

FBI office

There was no proposal to set up an independent office of the FBI in India, Panja said.

It had been mutually decided to allow the U.S. embassy in New Delhi to augment its strength for opening a legal attache office to be manned by two FBI officers. India also had a similar representation in its embassy in Washington.

The measure was part of the two countries' efforts to counter terrorism.

- PTI

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