BGB-BSF border talks begin

A four-day border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh and Indian Border Security Force began in Dhaka yesterday with a greater focus on border killing and cross-border crimes, including drug smuggling.

A 13-member Bangladesh delegation, led by BGB Director General Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam and a six-member Indian delegation, headed by BSF DG Rakesh Asthana, joined the 50th BGB-BSF DG-level talks that started at the BGB headquarters at 10:45am.

The conference is scheduled to conclude with the signing of a Joint Record of Discussions (JRD) on Saturday, said a BGB press release.

It said issues relating to shooting, killing and injuring unarmed Bangladeshi nationals along the border, smuggling of phensedyl, hemp, liquor, yaba tablets, Viagra, Senegra tablets and other narcotic drugs into Bangladesh, smuggling of weapons, ammunition and explosives, detaining and picking up of Bangladeshi citizens, crossing the border illegally/forcing people to enter Bangladesh and pushing mentally challenged Indian nationals into Bangladesh were discussed on the first day of the formal talks.

Besides, some other issues, including carrying out developmental construction work within 150 yards of the border, protecting riverbanks along the border, constructing a visitor gallery at Banglabandha ICP, conducting joint patrols for the implementation of Coordinated Border Management Plan, arranging regular meetings of region/ frontier level officers, and ways to enhance the mutual communication and existing friendship between the two border forces came up for discussion.

Earlier, the BGB-BSF talks was postponed on September 13 as the BSF delegation failed to reach Dhaka due to a technical glitch in their aircraft.