BGB-BSF Talks: Dhaka requests Delhi to destroy separatists’ camps in Mizoram
Bangladesh has expressed concerns about camps of Chittagong Hill Tracts-based armed separatists in Indian state of Mizoram during a director general-level talks of Bangladesh Border Guard and India’s Border Security Force.
The Bangladesh delegation also requested India to destroy the camps.
The requests were made in the 51st DG-level border conference between BGB and BSF in Guwahati, the capital city of Indian state of Assam.
A joint press briefing by the border forces of the two neighbouring countries said this.
Responding to the BGB request, BSF director general Rakesh Asthana mentioned about Indian government’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ to terrorism and said appropriate measures would be taken against those camps (if there’s any).
The five-day border conference began on 22 December and is scheduled to be completed on Saturday.
BGB director general Major General Md Shafeenul Islam is leading the 11-member Bangladesh delegation while his counterpart BSF DG Rakesh Asthana is leading the 12-member Indian delegation. The delegations of both the countries include representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, home ministry and foreign ministry.
The decisions taken at the border conference:
1. BGB DG expressed concern over the killing/injuring/ beating unarmed Bangladeshi citizens along the border areas by BSF/ Indian citizens/ criminals.
Both parties later agreed on increasing joint-patrolling along the risky border areas at night to stop border killings, enhancing awareness programmes, developing socio-economic programmes and taking extra cautionary measures in the border areas. The BGB DG said the people of Bangladesh always praise the ongoing congenial relationship between the two border security forces and hope that the forces would take necessary steps to end incidents of border killing. He urged everyone to uphold human rights and take legal measures against criminals according to laws of land without killing them. The BSF DG assured him that they will significantly reduce the number of deaths in border areas.
2. Stressing on Combined Border Management Plan (CBMP), the BGB DG expressed concern over trans-border crimes such as peddling of drugs including yaba pills, smuggling of arms, cattle, fake currency and gold and sought BSF’s assistance to curb these crimes. The DG of BSF said the drug smuggling has given rise to drug addition of youths in both the countries alarmingly and both the countries need to fight drug menace effectively. He said sharing of information about drug peddlers by both the countries would be useful and both parties agreed to conduct joint drives in this end if needed.
3. The DG of BGB expressed concern that the Indian citizens and BSF men often illegally intrude into Bangladeshi territory which may precipitate misunderstanding and untoward situations between two friendly border security forces. He sought assistance of BSF to continue the ongoing good relations between two forces.
Both the parties agreed to work on preventing their respective citizens not to cross the border of each other’s countries. Both forces also assured each other of measures to honour the border of each other’s country.
4 . The BGB DG requested the BSF DB to consider 1.3 km Innocent Passage along the river route of Padma river in Rajshahi.
Both parties agreed not to carry out any development activities within 150 yards of the border without informing each other. They also agreed to resume suspended development work as soon as possible.