DHAKA, Feb 9: India and Bangladesh discussed on Monday setting up an anti-terrorism task force, but Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said for such a mechanism to work participants must be sincere and committed.

A South Asia task force against terrorism was an idea mooted by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following attacks in Mumbai last year in which nearly 200 people were killed.

India claims the attackers were Pakistani and Pakistan state actors were involved, and has accused Islamabad of dragging its feet in moving against those responsible.

Without referring to a specific country, Mukherjee told a news conference he felt sincerity was critical in fighting terrorism.

“Due to lack of sincerity, inability and unwillingness to fight terrorism, a global issue, the architectures do not work,” he said. He arrived in Dhaka on Monday for the one-day visit.

“I discussed the viability of the proposed task force with Prime Minister Hasina and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, besides signing two agreements on bilateral trade and investment promotion and protection,” Mukherjee said.

Moni said Dhaka would shortly discuss the task force proposal with other regional countries to try to agree on details.

Bangladesh has been hit by attacks from outlawed Muslim groups, who killed some 30 people in a series of bombings in late 2005 and want Bangladesh to base its government on Islamic law.

Hasina, who herself survived a grenade attack by militants in 2004, proposed the task force before the Dec 29 election that swept her Awami League to power for a 5-year term.

Mukherjee and the Bangladesh leaders discussed an “entire range” of common issues, including trade, transit, water sharing, maritime boundary and terrorism, officials said.

They said the two sides renewed for the next three years a bilateral trade agreement effective since 1980, and signed a new agreement to safeguard investments in one another’s country.

Bangladesh annually imports about $2 billion worth of products from India, and earns nearly $400 million from exports there, officials said.

India is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh in both imports and exports.—Reuters