The meeting of home secretaries of Nepal and India kicked off in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Tuesday where both sides discussed over a dozen issues related to cross-border security, and assistance for Nepali security forces, among other things.

However, officials did not divulge the details of the assistance sought from the Indian side. “We have shared our requirements,” a participant told the Post from Delhi. “It is up to them to lend the assistance.”

“The meeting is heading in a positive direction,” said Ram Chandra Tiwari, joint secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs. “More than a dozen issues related to cross-border security, crime control, drug trafficking, checking infiltration from the border, and infiltration of third country nationals from bordering areas, among others, were discussed.”

Indian assistance to Nepali security agencies and long-pending issues like signing of an Extradition Treaty as well as Mutual Legal Assistance agreement also came up during the meeting.

“The text of the agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance is almost ready for signature,” said Tiwari. “We also discussed the text of the Extradition Treaty, which needs more discussion and deliberation. It requires further negotiations,” he added.

Both sides are facing problems in extraditing the people with criminal backgrounds due to the absence of Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance agreement.

If the text of the agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance is agreed upon, it can be signed during Prime Minister KP Oli’s India visit next month, according to officials.

Once signed, the Mutual Legal Assistance agreement will help both sides hand over persons with criminal records to the designated authorities. The Extradition Treaty has been gathering dust since 2005.

The home secretaries of Nepal and India signed an ‘initial’ agreement on the Extradition Treaty in 2005, but due to differences on some proposed provisions, including the issue of extraditing third-country nationals, the final agreement has not happened.

At the meeting, the Indian side raised concerns about possible infiltration of third country nationals from Nepal-India border and asked Nepal to maintain extra vigilance. The Nepali side also raised similar concerns, saying that some third country nationals have been sneaking from the porous Nepal-India border and taking refuge or asylum in Nepali territory.

Issues discussed on Tuesday included upgrading border infrastructure, maintenance of boundary pillars, curbing cross-border crimes, managing the border, controlling drugs and human trafficking, and boosting joint patrolling and surveillance of border areas.

The meeting will conclude on Wednesday with the signing of some understandings, said officials.

Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi and his Indian counterpart Govind Mohan are leading their respective delegations at the meeting. Senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Survey Department, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Intelligence Department representatives are also attending the meeting.

After the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April, the Indian side appears more sensitive about border security and this was reflected in Tuesday’s meeting, officials told the Post.

Earlier, in March, the two sides held a joint secretary-level meeting in Pokhara where they discussed and reviewed the status of repair and maintenance of boundary pillars, cross-border criminal activities; strengthening of border infrastructure, particularly the integrated check posts (ICPs), roads, and railway network; capacity building of security-related institutions; and ways to strengthen cooperation in disaster risk reduction and management.

Tuesday’s meeting also endorsed the minutes signed in Pokhara.