A little red faced after Australia flagged the issue of illegal migrants from India trying to enter that country, India is working on a treaty for transfer of sentenced prisoner with that country.
The proposed treaty has been cleared by the Union Cabinet last week and is set to be signed with the Australian government in the coming months.
The Narendra Modi government has taken a tough stand on the issue and asked the Australian government to establish the identity of the persons recently detained by the Australian law enforcement agencies for trying to enter their terriroty illegally.
The Union Home ministry feels the concern being flagged by Australia is a little exaggerated as those trying to enter Australia illegally are not Indians alone but predominantly it’s neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or Pakistan.
While a treaty will come in handy to bring back any Indians who have been arrested or detained by the Australian law enforcement agencies, India is treading with caution on the issue.
The Indian government has asked Australia to first verify identity of the persons who were on a boat trying to enter that country but seized by the Australian authorities during the last week of June, top sources said.
Australian immigration minister Scott Morrison had met home minister Rajnath Singh a fortnight back and discussed issues relating to illegal migration. The matter relating to the boat with 157 persons on board seized by the Australian authorities was raised in the meeting. “We can proceed with bringing them back only once their identity is established as Indians. We have asked the Austrlaian government to verify their identities and share the details immediately,” an MHA official said.
A week later, the MHA put on fast track its move to sign a treaty with Australia for transfer of sentenced prisoners to iron out any legal issues that may arise in bringing back Indians lodged in jails in that country.