BGB-BSF border conference begins

A four-day director general-level border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India began at the BGB Pilkhana headquarters in the capital on Wednesday.

BGB director general major general Md Shafeenul Islam is leading a 24-member Bangladesh delegation, including officials from the home ministry, foreign affairs ministry and narcotics control department.

On the other hand, a 10-member Indian delegation, led by BSF director general Rajni Kant Mishra, is attending the border conference. Officials from BSF headquarters, Indian home ministry and foreign ministry are among the delegation members.

Various security issues, including drug, firearms and ammunition smuggling, killing of unarmed Bangladeshi nationals along the border, detention, illegal border crossing, setting up of permanent border pillars in Muhurir char area, joint effort to stop illegal trespassing of Myanmar's nationals along Bangladesh-India border and boosting mutual trust between the two forces are being discussed at the conference, said Mohsin Reza, public relations officer of the BGB headquarters.

The conference will end with the signing of a Joint Record of Discussion (JRD) on 15 June, he said.