India and Bangladesh are set to hold their bi-annual Director General-level border talks in New Delhi next week, marking the first such meeting since the BNP government assumed office in Dhaka earlier this year.
According a report by PTI, citing officials, a delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), led by its Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, is expected to be in the national capital between June 8 and 11 for discussions with the Border Security Force (BSF). The Indian side will be headed by BSF Director General Praveen Kumar.
The talks, scheduled to be held at a BSF base in Delhi, are likely to focus on key issues including border fencing, cross-border crimes, infiltration, attacks on BSF personnel, and the handing over of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, officials told PTI.
Sources said the agenda broadly remains consistent with previous rounds of talks, with both sides expected to review cooperation on preventing trans-border crimes and strengthening border management mechanisms. A joint record of discussions is expected to be signed on June 11, they added.
This will be the first high-level border meeting between the two forces since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power in February this year. The last DG-level talks were held in Dhaka in August last year during the tenure of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh, portions of which remain unfenced due to difficult terrain. Officials said over 860 km of the stretch is currently unfenced, including areas deemed non-feasible for fencing due to geographical constraints such as riverine zones and the Sundarbans.
Sources added that the Indian side is expected to raise concerns over attacks on BSF personnel, joint action against cross-border crimes, activities of Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) in Bangladesh, and delays in accepting apprehended illegal entrants. Issues related to border infrastructure, single-row fencing, and drone intrusions may also figure in the discussions, PTI reported.
The Border Guard Bangladesh is likely to flag concerns over alleged killings of its nationals by the BSF, allegations that the Indian side has previously rejected, stating that its personnel act strictly in self-defence using graded response measures.
The DG-level talks, initiated in 1975 and made bi-annual in 1993, are held alternately in New Delhi and Dhaka, with both sides seeking to enhance coordination on border management and curb illegal activities along the frontier.
(With inputs from PTI)