Border tension simmers down following talks

The border tension brewing since Saturday's Akhaura skirmishes has simmered down following discussions between Dhaka and New Delhi at diplomatic and other planes, said Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan yesterday.

India has already pulled away the extra war muscle it built up along the border after the April 16 BDR-BSF shootout that killed a Bangladeshi girl and a BSF company commander, a top official at the home ministry told The Daily Star yesterday.

India, however, has decided to speed up fencing along its border with Bangladesh to complete it as early as possible, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Meanwhile, export of Indian goods to Bangladesh through the Benapole Land Port resumed yesterday afternoon after a two and a-half-day suspension, our Jessore correspondent writes.

PEACE TALKS

Talking to the press yesterday afternoon, Foreign Minister Morshed Khan termed the Akhaura incident unfortunate and regrettable, and said, "I believe the tension is now defused and hope it will not escalate again."

Khan said the state ministers for home affairs and the chiefs of border guards of Bangladesh and India had fruitful talks by telephone and both sides have agreed to take steps to remove tension and maintain peace and harmony along the border.

He said, "I personally held a meeting with our state minister for home, the director general of Bangladesh Rifles and chiefs of intelligence agencies and advised all to show maximum restraint on border issues."

"We have handled it very well," he noted, adding, Bangladesh and India share a 4,200-km porous border, where such skirmishes is nothing unusual, but both the countries are sincere to maintain peace.

"We are now working to settle the border disputes, complete demarcation of a 6.5-km stretch and exchange the enclaves in adverse possession. Once these irritants are removed it will cut down border tension by a great extent," Khan observed.

He said in their talks the state ministers of home of Bangladesh and India have agreed to talk to each other immediately if any such incident happen in the future as well as to take appropriate steps to avoid confrontation between BDR and BSF.

Asked whether the foreign ministry would summon the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka to register protest as a counter to summoning of Bangladesh's acting high commissioner in New Delhi on Tuesday, the foreign minister said, "There are many other ways in diplomacy to lodge such a protest without summoning anyone."

Both the next-door neighbours have formed probe committees into the Saturday's incident. The committee formed by Dhaka comprises four members, Khan said, remarking, "I hope both the inquiry committees would report that the body of the BSF assistant commandant was found 250 yards inside Bangladesh territory and he was in civilian dress."

On a question about the barbed wire border fencing by India, Morshed Khan said Bangladesh will stick to its position of not allowing such fencing within 150 yards of the zero line as per the 1974 border treaty.

About Indian argument of compulsion to construct fence within 150 yards due to existence of religious or educational institutions in that area, he said, "If they give us the map, we will examine whether any mosque, temple or educational institution stands within the 150 yards. If the India's claim about area of compulsion is genuine, we will give due consideration to it."

Asked why India is fencing the border, Khan counter-argued, "What's the problem if anyone wants to surround his house with boundary wall?"

SPEEDY FENCING
Our New Delhi correspondent reports: India yesterday said all steps would be taken for early completion of fencing work along its border with Bangladesh.

While the border fencing has been completed in the western sector, there were some difficulties in the eastern sector because of its difficult terrain, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said in Rajya Sabha yesterday. "Our efforts are that the fencing should be completed as early as possible," he said.

Patil said adequate compensation would be provided to families of BSF personnel killed or injured in border incidents including AC Jeewan Kumar, adding government would not hesitate to bend rules, if necessary.

Senior BJP lawmaker Pramod Mahajan raised the issue during the Zero Hour and said the Indian government should take steps to check infiltration from Bangladesh. "It is regrettable that the government is not paying adequate attention to the eastern sector and has been focusing only on the western sector," Mahajan observed.

In response, Patil said the Bangladesh government has assured India to fully investigate the killing of BSF officer Jeewan Kumar and fix responsibility for the crime.

"Bangladesh home minister spoke to me and expressed regret over the incident. He assured me that the matter will be investigated, responsibility fixed and action will be taken against the perpetrators," Patil said.

INDIAN HC RELEASE
An Indian high commission press release issued in Dhaka yesterday said Bangladesh State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar telephoned Indian Home Minister Tuesday and expressed regret over the death of BSF Assistant Commandant Jeevan Kumar.

He also conveyed that Dhaka has ordered an inquiry into the incident of firing by BDR forces on BSF personnel in the Agartala sector on Saturday and stern action would be taken against those involved in the incident, said the release.

It said on Monday Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri called on Acting Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Sarwar Hossain Mollah to convey Indian government's strong condemnation of the incident.