Indo-Bangla talks begin in Dhaka yesterday
The seventh Bangladesh-India
Home Secretary-level talks began in Dhaka yesterday to discuss peaceful
border management, implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement, border fencing, BDR-BSF skirmishes, cross-border crimes and terrorism.
Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain led 18-member home side
delegation while his Indian counterpart VK Duggal led a 16-member delegation to the 3-day
meeting at State Guest House Meghna.
The first day’s meeting lasted for about one and a half-hour from 7:00pm.
Sources said all issues relating to the Indo-Bangladesh border, smuggling of drugs and narcotics and cross-border crimes came up for the discussion.
The last Home Secretary-level talks was held in New Delhi on October 27-28 last year. The meeting agreed on coordinated efforts to stop smuggling of drug, illegal arms and explosives and providing consular access to detainees. Both countries exchanged lists of top criminals.
Earlier, talking to journalists, Indian Home Secretary said senior officials of Bangladesh and India would jointly visit the enclaves and territories of adverse possession in both the borders within a month.
The officials will submit a report to the respective governments after the visit that would take place under the framework of Bangladesh-India Joint Boundary Working Group (JBWG).
The JBWG met in Dhaka last month (July) and discussed the outstanding border issues that often cause skirmishes between border guards of the two neighbours.
The Indian Home Secretary said, “We will discuss narcotics, peaceful border management, BDR and BSF relationship and enclaves.”
Bangladesh Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain, however, told journalists yesterday that peaceful border management, implementation of Bangladesh-India Land Boundary Agreement, 1974, enclaves and territories under adverse possessions, implementation of agreement on narcotics, checking women and children trafficking would be the agenda.
VK Duggal arrived in Dhaka yesterday to lead an 18-member delegation to the 7th Home Secretary-level meeting that began at the State Guest House Meghna.
He called on Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin and Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain prior to the bilateral talks.
VK Duggal told journalists that some 'perceptions' would have to be cleared and the tensions be managed well.
Asked about Indian allegation of involvement of Bangladeshi terrorists in the Mumbai blast, Duggal said if any country thinks that it would gain from support towards such acts would ultimately end up as loser.
“...Both sides will have to agree to resolve the problem and fight the menace of terrorism as terrorist has no nationality,” he added.
The Indian delegation would visit the Sundarbans today before sitting again on Saturday, diplomatic sources said last evening.
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