Dhaka, Delhi to talk security cooperation
Bangladesh and India are expected to discuss enhancing security cooperation, particularly in counter-terror efforts, as home ministers Azaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Rajnath Singh hold talks in the Indian capital today.
Kamal arrived in New Delhi yesterday afternoon leading a high-level delegation that also includes Home Secretary Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan and Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Huq on a four-day visit for the fourth home minister-level talks between the two countries.
"The talks are expected to further strengthen and enhance the excellent cooperation between the two countries on security and border management matters," an official statement said yesterday.
The ministerial-level talks will be held from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.
According to official sources, a key aspect of the talks will be how to increase coordination between security agencies of the two countries in tackling terror, particularly in the backdrop of the recent ghastly attacks in Dhaka and Sholakia on July 1 and 7 respectively.
Ahead of today's talks, Shahidul Huq yesterday had a packed schedule visiting the headquarters of several Indian security agencies -- Intelligence Bureau, elite counter-terror agency National Security Guard, the Delhi police commissioner, National Investigation Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The Bangladesh police boss met the heads of the Indian security agencies discussing not only counter-terror operations but also capacity-building, especially India giving training to their Bangladeshi counterparts, said the sources.
The Bangladeshi delegation called on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee last evening and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning ahead of the ministerial talks to be held in the North Block.
During the ministerial talks, both sides would review implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement, security and border management and other related issues, the statement added.
The LBA was clinched during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Dhaka in June 2015, settling a long-festering irritant in bilateral ties.
The Indian delegation at the talks would be comprised of National Security Adviser Ajit K Dobhal, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and officers of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Border Security Force (BSF), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Coast Guard and others agencies.
The Bangladeshi delegation would also visit Udaipur, a famous tourist spot in the desert state of Rajasthan, and Kolkata, according to the statement.
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