India and Bangladesh to hold 57th BSF-BGB border talks from June 8
The Border Security Force (BSF) will host the 57th Director General-level Border Co-ordination Conference between India and Bangladesh in New Delhi from June 8 to 11 to deliberate on a wide range of strategic border management issues, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
The high-level bilateral dialogue, to be held at the BSF Force Headquarters in the CGO Complex, will see the Indian delegation led by BSF Director General Praveen Kumar, IPS, while the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) contingent will be headed by its Director General, Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.
A BSF spokesperson stated that the primary objective of the four-day conference is to discuss critical border-related matters and enhance real-time coordination between the two frontier-garding forces. The deliberations will extensively focus on rising security concerns, including the prevention of assaults on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladeshi nationals, curbing trans-border crimes, and blocking the infiltration of criminals into Indian territory.
“During the course of the conference, discussions will also be held on incidents of fence breaching by Bangladeshi nationals, construction of single-row fencing, and action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating from inside Bangladesh,” the BSF statement added.
Additionally, both sides will review progress on border infrastructure projects and explore fresh Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to maintain peace and tranquillity along the international boundary. The last edition of this bi-annual conference was held in Dhaka in August last year.
The institutional framework for these high-level meetings dates back to the Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities established in 1975, which mandate frequent contacts between border chiefs. Originally held annually after the first historic meeting in Kolkata in December 1975, the talks were upgraded to a bi-annual event following a Home Secretary-level agreement between the two nations in October 1993.
