Dhaka, Jul 21 (PTI) The border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh on Thursday said they have agreed to focus on curbing trans-border crimes and taking all necessary measures to ensure peace and tranquility along the border, while building upon the mutual trust and harmony among BSF and BGB and both the countries.
On the concluding day of the four-day BGB-BSF director general-level meeting held at Dhaka, both sides appreciated each other’s concerns and committed to settling different border issues amicably through continued, constructive and positive engagements at all levels, according to a press release issued by the Border Security Force (BSF).
They agreed to undertake joint efforts to curb trans-border crime by adopting extra precautionary measures such as increasing coordinated patrols, enhancing vigilance and sincere commitments, it said.
The two sides also agreed to undertake joint efforts to bring down the number of incidents of assault/border crime by intensifying public awareness programme, undertaking appropriate socio-economic developmental programmes in vulnerable areas, educating border population about the sanctity of International Border (IB) and preventing criminals/inhabitants from crossing the IB, the statement said.
The BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) agreed to remain cautious and steadfast to stop smuggling through sharing of real time information and active anti-smuggling efforts.
They agreed to show zero tolerance towards any trans-border insurgent groups or suspected terrorist camps and take concurrent action in respective border based on real time information, the statement said.
Meanwhile, addressing a joint press conference with his Bangladeshi counterpart Major General Shakil Ahmed, BSF Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh said, “We uphold the best of traditions of human rights…our relations with Bangladesh are very different from some other neighbours on the western borders…We have an absolutely friendly relationship.” Singh said there are “criminals and all types of people in every society” and people who were killed on borders were not ordinary people, “rather were engaged in criminal activities like drug smuggling” and all those incidents occurred after midnight hours.
Had they been any ordinary person like fishermen or farmers, they would not be on the border fence between 10 pm and 4 am. It defies any logic for a law abiding person. It is pure economic gains for selfish vested folks, the BSF chief said.
“We don’t discriminate between criminals on either of the sides of the border,” he said.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long border in the states of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal.
Addressing reporters, BGB chief Ahmed said the two sides laid high emphasis on the border killing issue and “discussed how the border killings could be brought down to zero level”.
BSF chief Singh underlined that all the lethal firings occurred in the night and “not even a single shot was fired in the day time” and that also happened only when the BSF felt they were overpowered in the midnight hours.
He said under an arrangement between the two forces, common people, including children, who inadvertently cross the border were returned regularly to their own countries as a goodwill gesture on both sides and their number is also very high.
Ahmed said during the talks all issues including cross-border crimes and human trafficking were discussed and they “reached a coordinated decision on those matters” and “we did not have any difference of opinion on any matter”.
“We have also decided that the decisions we made in the meeting, we will translate them at our grassroots level units with the same spirit to implement those at the ground level,” he said.
The 52nd BSF-BGB director general level border conference was held from July 17 to 21. DG level talks between India and Bangladesh are held twice every year – once in India and once in Bangladesh. The next DG level conference in India is likely to be held in November 2022.
Singh led a nine-member BSF delegation, while the BGB delegation comprised 20 members, including representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and home and foreign ministries. PTI AR/NES SCY AKJ SCY
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