NEW DELHI, Sep 17: An official border conference meeting between the Border Security Force (BSF) of India and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the level of Director General is underway at the BGB’s Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka.
The conference which was scheduled to begin on Sunday, started three days late as the Indian delegation could not reach in time due to some technical glitch in the aircraft they were supposed to travel. The conference would end with the signing of a Joint Record of Discussions on Saturday. The scheduled flight Dhaka-New Delhi – Kolkata route has remained suspended from March due to Corona pandemic.
The first-ever DG-level talks between BSF and the BGB, formerly Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), was held in 1975. Since then the discussions are generally held twice a year, alternating between New Delhi and Dhaka over the problem of management of the 4,096-km long hinterland between India and Bangladesh.
A six-member team led by BSF Director General Rakesh Asthana is representing India in the conference. The Indian delegation also included senior officials from the BSF headquarters and officials from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs.
A 13-member Bangladesh delegation headed by BGB Director General Major General Md Shafeenul Islam is participating in the conference. The other members of the delegation included the ADG of BGB and related staff officers of BGB Headquarters as well as officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Rivers Commission, and Land Record and Survey Department.
Last year a five-day conference was held in December, at the BSF headquarters in New Delhi.
(Venkatesh Iyer)
