India, Maldives to sign pact on anti-terror cooperation

Against the backdrop of reports that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is eyeing isolated islands in Maldives, India will soon ink an agreement with the southern neighbour to combat terror threats jointly.

Against the backdrop of reports that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is eyeing isolated islands in Maldives, India will soon ink an agreement with the southern neighbour to combat terror threats jointly.

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A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on anti-terror measures and information sharing will be signed by the two countries by April, an official said.

Maldives' Minister of Home Affairs Mohamed Shihab today had a nearly an hour-long meeting with Home Minister P Chidambaram and decided to carry forward their cooperation on security matters to the next level.

The move by India and Maldives to address threats emanating from terror groups like LeT bears significance in view of reports that Lashkar has been trying to make Maldives a hub due to its geographical advantage, isolated and sparsely populated islands.

"About 7,00,000 tourists visit Maldives every year and so the island nation does not want to take any chance on security issues, hence the cooperation with India," the official said.