India mulls 'no-firing' for a year

India yesterday said it might declare a unilateral "no-firing" along its border with Bangladesh for a year to avoid civilian deaths in crossfire.
"We are considering unilateral no-firing on the border for one year. The modalities of that are being worked out," Indian Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said at the India-Bangladesh security dialogue.
It was organised by the Observer Research Foundation and Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.
Responding to suggestions from India's former foreign secretary MK Rasgotra against any firing or transgression on Indo-Bangladesh border, Pillai said India understood that killings of civilians on the border in crossfire is a very sensitive issue in the neighbouring country.
He, however, refuted reports that the Indian Border Security Force had made any transgression along Bangladesh border earlier this month.
Pillai said there was a retaliatory fire from the Indian side after some Indian citizens, who had gone for fishing, came under fire.
The Indian home secretary said there are border disputes over only 6.1 km of the 4,095km border between the two countries. But there had been no progress towards a settlement in the last 10 years.
He suggested creating a joint task force with a mandate to settle the border disputes by the end of this year or early next year.