India, Bangladesh border forces begin high-level meeting in Delhi

A high-level meeting between the border forces of India and Bangladesh began here on Monday where the two sides are expected to discuss action against insurgent groups and movement of displaced Rohingyas, a senior BSF official said.

"The 47th border co-ordination conference, the DG-level talks between Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh, began today," a BSF spokesperson said.

The spokesperson had yesterday said India will take up issues like BSF personnel being attacked by Bangladeshi criminals and those related to cross-border smuggling.

It is expected that the two sides will also share updates about the movement of Rohingyas in their respective jurisdictions.

A 13-member delegation of the Border GuardBangladesh(BGB), led by its Director General(DG) Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam, had arrived in India yesterday to hold the bi-annual talks with their counterparts -- BSF -- as part of their six-day tour.

The 13-member Border Security Force(BSF) side will be led by DG K K Sharma.

The bi-annual meeting comes at a time, the spokesperson had said, when relations between India and Bangladesh are at an all-time high.

"Issues like preventing attacks on BSF personnel by Bangladeshi criminals, joint efforts to prevent trans-border crimes, action against Indian insurgent groups (operating from the other side) among others are part of the agenda for the DG-level talks," he had said.

Issues related to border infrastructure, simultaneous coordinated patrol in vulnerable areas of the border and mutual sharing of information are also part of the BSF subjects, the spokesperson hadsaid.

TheDhaka-headquartered BGB is expected to take up issues like smuggling of various types of drugs/narcotics from Bangladeshand arrest or apprehension of Bangladeshi nationals by the BSF among others, the spokespersonsaid.

A joint record of discussion will be signed between the two forces on September 7. The visiting delegation is expected to return the next day.

This is the 47th DG-level conference between the two sides since it began in 1975.

The last time the two forces met for such a meeting was in April this year inDhaka.

The two countries share a 4,096-km border.