BSF-BGB talks begin

A high-level delegation of India and Bangladesh's border guarding forces today commenced their annual DG-level talks here in the backdrop of the historic exchange of enclaves between the two countries.
A 22-member delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which arrived here yesterday, held talks with Border Security Force (BSF) for their four-day Director General level talks on a range of issues at the paramilitary forces' headquarter here.
BGB DG Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed was accorded a formal guard of honour by BSF before the start of talks today and BSF DG Devendra K Pathak received the delegation personally at the Indira Gandhi International Airport yesterday, a senior official said.

The Indian side participating in the talks will be headed by Pathak with representatives from Ministry of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Survey of India, NIA and other law enforcement agencies.
This is the first official Bangladeshi team to arrive in Delhi after the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) has been conducted with the enclaves exchange happening between the two countries.
"The emerging border scenario after the LBA will also be discussed," a senior official had said.

The two sides will also sign a joint declaration on August 6, a day before the Bangladeshi delegation returns to Dhaka.
BSF had said the two sides are expected to discuss issues related to trans-border crimes including instances of cattle smuggling, pumping in of fake Indian currency, activities of Indian insurgent groups based in Bangladesh, prevention of illegal migration, joint efforts for effective implementation of common agenda programmes and a host of other confidence- building measures.

At the stroke of Friday mid-night, 51,000 stateless people of India and Bangladesh attained citizenship when the two countries ended decades of their lingering wait by exchanging 162 adversely-held enclaves between them.