India-UAE sign pacts on security cooperation

Both countries stressed their commitment to stepping up cooperation in investigation of mutually relevant criminal cases.

New Delhi: India and United Arab Emirates
(UAE) o Wednesday signed two key agreements, including one that will
pave the way for 1,200 Indian prisoners languishing in Emirati
jails to serve the rest of their terms back home.

UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Home
Minister P Chidambaram signed the agreements on Security
Cooperation and on Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

The pact on Security Cooperation seeks to strengthen and
develop the existing bilateral framework to enhance security
cooperation in areas such as combating terrorism in all forms,
addressing activities of organised criminal groups, drug
trafficking, illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition,
explosives and initiatives on training of personnel, a Home
Ministry spokesperson said.

The agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons provides
the framework to facilitate the social rehabilitation of
sentenced persons in their respective countries by giving
citizens of the contracting states, who have been convicted
and sentenced as a result of commission of a criminal offence,
the opportunity to serve the sentence in their own society.

There are around 1,200 Indians imprisoned in the UAE for
various crimes including on drugs and finance-related charges.
There is only one UAE national presently in an Indian jail.

The pact will apply to those who have already been
convicted and not to under-trials.

As per its provisions, any Indian sentenced in the UAE,
who is to be transferred to Indian jail, should have a minimum
of six months of jail term left and there shouldn`t be any
pending case against him.

The two leaders extensively discussed issues pertaining
to bilateral security cooperation, issues relating to drug
trafficking, security and capacity building so as to enhance
cooperation to combat organised crimes, the spokesperson said.

The issue of international terrorism also came up during
the meeting.

Both countries stressed their commitment to stepping up
cooperation in investigation of mutually relevant criminal
cases and sharing of relevant information in this regard, the
spokesperson said.

PTI

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