Nepal in final stages of new extradition treaty

The government is in the final stages of finalising a new extradition law, a key bilateral issue between Nepal and India amid growing concern in New Delhi that the landlocked nation was used by criminals for export of terrorism and counterfeit currency to India.

Law and justice ministry is finalising the new extradition act, which if endorsed by Parliament, will facilitate criminals to be handed over to a third country. 

"We are working towards finalising the new Extradition Act which is an updated version of the Extradition Act of 1989," said Raju Man Singh Malla, the joint secretary at the ministry.
 
"We are currently exercising to bring the new act, which will have to be sent to the cabinet before tabling it in Parliament for endorsement," he told PTI today.

He, however, did not give details of the act, saying it will be submitted to the cabinet soon, amid speculation that it could be as early as next week. 

When asked whether the cabinet will take up the matter before Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra) festival, he said it will be sent to the cabinet as soon as possible. 

The first extradition treaty was signed between Nepal and India in 1950, which was updated in 1989. 

Now the government wants to change the provisions of
the act to add more teeth to it as per the changed situation.

India has accused Pakistan's spy agency ISI of pushing counterfeit currency notes into India and promoting terrorism from Nepal.

The draft of the new law facilitates deportation of third-country nationals, a provision which is absent in the earlier India-Nepal Extradition Treaty and which New Delhi has been pitching for in a bid to add more teeth to the law. 

India, a victim of cross border terrorism and injection of counterfeit currency, has been pressing Nepal to sign an updated extradition treaty at the earliest. 

An updated extradition treaty between Nepal and India was inked at Home Secretary level in 2005. However, it needs to be signed by Home Ministers of the two countries to come into force.

The Nepali Congress-led government under Girija Prasad Koirala had taken initiative to sign a new extradition treaty some 3-4 years back, which was put off following protests by the Maoists.

A visit by home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula to India to sign the treaty was cancelled at the last minute due to protests by the CPN-Maoist.

During the November 2008 visit of then Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee here, he gave assurance that a new bilateral pact would be formally inked, but it has failed to make forward movement due to the political instability in the country.

Nepal has been without a government since June 30, when Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal quit under intense pressure from the Maoists. Parliament has failed to elect a new leader in eight rounds of election as parties have been unable to agree on the shape of the new government.