Pakistan proposes to form SAARC police force to prevent crime
Thursday, 25 October 2007
FE Report
Pakistan has proposed that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) set up an integrated police force similar to Interpol to aid investigations and prevent crime in the region.
The initiative was suggested at an expert-level meeting, held in New Delhi Tuesday to formulate an agenda for today's (Thursday) second meeting of the interior and home ministers of the SAARC countries, according to a Pakistani newspaper report.
Pakistan's representative at the meeting, Dr Shoaib Siddle, called for the establishment of the police network between the SAARC countries, and also raised the issue of "dishonouring" SAARC visa stickers by immigration authorities of various nations in the region.
Dr Siddle complained to the meeting that the Pakistani delegates for SAARC meetings were subjected to rigorous immigration checks at the Indian airports despite bearing the SAARC visa exemption stickers. He said, the delegates were also prevented from visiting many sites.
Meanwhile, India, currently the chair of SAARC, is lobbying for the enactment of a 'mutual legal assistance treaty'. A draft convention of the treaty was circulated at the last SAARC summit in April, and met with reservations from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
However, the summit declaration had noted that there was a "need for the law-enforcement authorities of the member states to enhance cooperation in the prevention, suppression and prosecution of offences."
India is also pushing for strict laws and cooperation to dismantle the financing channels of terrorists by addressing issues of money laundering. It has also proposed to monitor the non-governmental organisations, banks, insurance companies and charitable organisations to prevent their misuse.
India also circulated a draft for an additional clause in the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism that would allow the detainees, suspected of transnational crimes, such as terrorism, to be available to other countries.
The agenda of Thursday's conference includes terrorism, drug and human trafficking, money laundering and the 'mutual legal assistance treaty.'
Pakistan has proposed that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) set up an integrated police force similar to Interpol to aid investigations and prevent crime in the region.
The initiative was suggested at an expert-level meeting, held in New Delhi Tuesday to formulate an agenda for today's (Thursday) second meeting of the interior and home ministers of the SAARC countries, according to a Pakistani newspaper report.
Pakistan's representative at the meeting, Dr Shoaib Siddle, called for the establishment of the police network between the SAARC countries, and also raised the issue of "dishonouring" SAARC visa stickers by immigration authorities of various nations in the region.
Dr Siddle complained to the meeting that the Pakistani delegates for SAARC meetings were subjected to rigorous immigration checks at the Indian airports despite bearing the SAARC visa exemption stickers. He said, the delegates were also prevented from visiting many sites.
Meanwhile, India, currently the chair of SAARC, is lobbying for the enactment of a 'mutual legal assistance treaty'. A draft convention of the treaty was circulated at the last SAARC summit in April, and met with reservations from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
However, the summit declaration had noted that there was a "need for the law-enforcement authorities of the member states to enhance cooperation in the prevention, suppression and prosecution of offences."
India is also pushing for strict laws and cooperation to dismantle the financing channels of terrorists by addressing issues of money laundering. It has also proposed to monitor the non-governmental organisations, banks, insurance companies and charitable organisations to prevent their misuse.
India also circulated a draft for an additional clause in the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism that would allow the detainees, suspected of transnational crimes, such as terrorism, to be available to other countries.
The agenda of Thursday's conference includes terrorism, drug and human trafficking, money laundering and the 'mutual legal assistance treaty.'