GUWAHATI, March 14 � Fresh efforts are on to bring back Anup Chetia, the general secretary of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) so that he can be involved in the peace process as both the Government and the leaders of the pro-talk faction of the ULFA are of the view that if he can be involved in the process, it would get more teeth.
Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the Bangladesh Government is not in a position to extradite Chetia as he has already filed a petition in the court seeking political asylum in that country. But the Government of Bangladesh would be in a position to extradite the ULFA leader if the petition is disposed off or he himself withdraws the same.
Sources said that an emissary was sent to Bangladesh recently to try and persuade the ULFA leader to withdraw his petition for political asylum. Sources refused to divulge the name of the emissary but said that the person is known to the leaders of the ULFA.
However, the emissary could not meet the ULFA leader, who is under the protective custody of the Government of Bangladesh and tried to persuade him to withdraw the petition through his lawyer. Interestingly, the emissary first met the lawyer who had been representing Chetia earlier only to be told that he has engaged a new lawyer. The emissary then managed to meet the new lawyer to try and convince the ULFA leader to withdraw the petition and return to India. Sources said that the lawyer already convened the request to Chetia and now it is up to the ULFA leader to take a decision on whether to withdraw the petition or not.
Sources said that if Chetia finally decides to withdraw his petition for political asylum, it would pave the way for his extradition from Bangladesh and them he can be persuaded to join the peace process. The Government of Bangladesh, in a recent high level meeting, attended among others by the Home Minister of the country, discussed the issue of extradition of Chetia following the request from the Government of India, but the Government of that country is not in a position to do so till the case is not disposed.
