Kathmandu/Delhi, Sept 29, 2006

Nepal and India are all prepared to ink the revised Treaty of Extradition, which along with the Treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) in Criminal Matters, was initialled at the home secretary level in January last year.

According to our New Delhi correspondent, the treaty will be signed on October 5.

The two countries are expected to formalise the revised treaty by signing it at the home minister-level meet, when the Minister for Home Affairs, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, visits New Delhi next week.

Shekhar Koirala, senior advisor to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, said Sitaula’s Delhi visit begins October 2. The two governments began the process to revise the Treaty of Extradition in 2002, when it was informally discussed at the Home Secretary-level in New Delhi.

The Treaty of Extradition was first signed on October 2, 1953, outlining 17 offences for which criminals could be extradited from either country; the Treaty for MLA in Criminal Matters, a legal document aimed to facilitate the implementation the Treaty of Extradition, has been introduced for the first time between the two countries.

The twin treaties, once formalised, are aimed at checking the growing nexus between left-wing extremists in both countries, combating terrorism and other illegal activities, including smuggling of arms and ammunition across the 1,800 km porous border between the two countries.

Garba gaining popularity in Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu has been witnessing increasing popularity of garba as the festival of Dashain enters its feverish pitch.

Especially so among the members of the communities of the Indian origin.

Garba originated in Saurashtra region of western India and has been attracting people around the world in recent years.

This is happening largely because of satellite channels, which beam live and recorded sessions worldwide. The epicentre in the capital is Agrawal Seva Kendra (ASK), which has been organising elaborate rituals during the festival of Dashain for the last five years.

“We started organising garba sessions during Dashain some five years ago. We are recording steady rise in its popularity in Kathmandu,” said Suraj Kiran Agrawal, former president of ASK. He said those who turn up to play garba on the occasion do not comprise only members of the Jain community.

“We have been attracting revellers from all the communities, including Muslims,” Agrawal claimed.

However, garba is not the only attraction among members of the Jain community in the capital.