BGB-BSF border conference begins in Assam

A 4-day Director General (DG)-level Border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has begun in Guwahati, the capital city of Indian State of Assam, reports news agency UNB.

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.

This is for the first time in four decades that the border conference between the two border forces has been organised outside New Delhi, the capital of India.

The conference will end with the signing of a Joint Record of Discussions (JRD) on 25 December.

The objective of the border talks is to discuss border-related issues, including killing of Bangladesh nationals along the borders as well as to enable better coordination between border guarding forces of the two countries.

BGB headquarters’ Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam told the news agency that the Bangladesh delegation entered India through Tamabil (Sylhet)-Dauki (Meghalaya) ICP.

IG Hardeep Singh of BSF Meghalaya Headquarters received the delegation.

The delegation went to Guwahati by a BSF helicopter where BSF Director General Rakesh Asthana welcomed them with flowers.