NEW DELHI: Home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday raised the issue of growing radicalization among Muslims in Nepal settled near Indo-Nepal border with Nepal PM Sushil Koirala and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam. Certain pockets in these areas are learnt to have become fishing pools for Pakistan’s ISI and is suspected of being used against India.
Singh is on a visit to Kathmandu for SAARC summit in Nepal. An official statement released by his office said, “The Indian HM (home minister) expressed his concern on the growth of religious fundamentalism in the border areas.”
Intelligence agencies have been warning for the past few years that a string of madrasas coupled with large-scale settling of Muslims has been systematically taking place in Nepal along its border with India. These colonies, says security establishment sources, are being tapped by ISI fopr anti-India activities.
It is important to note that even Indian Mujahideen had been found to have plans to recruit from these radicalised pockets. NIA chargesheet against Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested last year from Nepal, mentions that he had got in touch with some Muslims in Nepal and was planning to recruit some boys for operations in India.
Even as Nepal government promised full cooperation in dealing with cross-border crimes and terrorism, Singh thanked Kathmandu for timely cooperation extended by it in averting a catastrophic flood in Bihar in early August in this year. “He offered greater cooperation in disaster management to Nepal and underlined the need to establish a bilateral mechanism on disaster management. India suggested that need assessment team for disaster management should be set up in both the countries,” said a Home Ministry official.
Singh also appreciated the efforts of Nepal government in dealing with trans-border crimes and underlined the need for more focused effort to control the activities of criminal elements, terrorists and other Indian insurgent groups along the Indo- Nepal border.
“He expressed concern on the smuggling of fake currency notes and human trafficking. He stated that there is a need for evolving bilateral mechanism for dealing with the issue of human trafficking,” said the official.