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Why has Nepal become a safe haven for terrorists and criminals

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Nepal is back in the news once again with reports suggesting that radical Sikh leader, Amritpal Singh reaching the country after a chase by the Indian police.

Ten years back, Indian Mujahideen chief, Yasin Bhatkal too had tried taking the same route, but was caught by the Indian agencies.

Why has Nepal become a safe haven for terrorists and criminals

To begin with these are just two cases which are in the news as they are high-profile ones.

Nepal on the diaries of the Intelligence Bureau has always been a preferred destination for terrorists and criminals to make an escape before they reach Pakistan.

Another case that needs a mention is the escape made by Atiq Ahmed's son, Asad. He managed to dodge the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) who were hunting him after he carried the shootout of Umesh Pal in Prayagraj a month back. The STF however managed to arrest one Qayyum Ansari from Nepal's Kapilavastu district for helping Asad escape to Nepal. He was accused of providing Asad a car and shelter in Nepal.

In Nepal, there is a select network of touts that operate and help ferry criminals and terrorists. While in some cases it has been found that these persons have found a safe haven in Nepal, in others it was reliably learnt that they had flown into Pakistan.

Following the arrest of Abdus Subhan, the second-in-command to Yasin Bhatkal in 2018, the agencies had found that there was a well-oiled mechanism in Nepal which was giving protection to terrorists who were on the run.

Former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, C D Sahay tells OneIndia that Nepal becomes a preferred destination for these elements, because it is a free border. There are no visas required and all you need to do on landing there is prove your Indian identity. It is not just with terrorists, but even the criminals in Bihar use this route. Once you get into Nepal you can fly out from there anywhere, Sahay explains.

Why has Nepal become a safe haven for terrorists and criminals

An Intelligence Bureau dossier says that the route from India is used to get into Nepal and then these criminals use it as a transit point to get into Pakistan. During the course of the investigation, it was also found that one Islami Sangh was in charge of providing the logistic support for terrorists on the run. Some of the entry routes that are popular are Banke, Kapilvastu, Parsa, Bara and Rautahat in Nepal.

Sahay goes on to add that the route is not just used to exit India, but come into the country as well.

"All these terrorists who come to Kashmir, especially the high-value ones make sure that they do not try and enter India through the Line of Control (LoC). There is a chance of them getting killed in cross gun fire if they try and enter through the LoC. They would instead fly into Kathmandu from Pakistan and then enter India. Scores of terrorists have been doing that. Those acting as their touts are the Kashmiris who have set up shawls in Nepal. While they cater to the foreigners visiting the country, on the side many act as touts," Sahay pointed out.

In the past couple of years, the security agencies have flagged another concern where Nepal is concerned. It is no longer a stopover for terrorists and criminals. It has over the years become a control centre. What ails the war on terror is the open border with Nepal. The control is weak and the lack of checks has only added to the problem.

A recent report by the US State Department had raised concerns about the weak border security and how it had become a transit point for international terrorists.

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