E-Paper
Chiefs of India, B’desh border forces hold talks
This is the first time the chiefs of the two forces are holding talks in Dhaka, after the political regime change in Bangladesh on August 5 last year.
New Delhi India’s 11 member delegation led by the Border Security Force(BSF) chief on Tuesday started the border coordination conference with Border Guard Bangladesh(BGB) in Dhaka, officials aware of the matter said. This is the first time the chiefs of the two forces are holding talks in Dhaka, after the political regime change in Bangladesh on August 5 last year.
The Indian delegation of officials from BSF, home ministry and external affairs are engaged in talks with 21 members from Bangladesh led by BGB chief Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, chief of the BGB. The Indian side is being led by director general(DG), Daljit Singh Chawdhary. “The Indian delegation reached Dhaka on Monday and the talks began this afternoon. The two forces will likely to share the outcome of the discussion and hold a joint press conference in Dhaka on Thursday,” an official aware of the matter said.
In a statement on Friday, BSF had said that the discussions held between August 25 and 28 will focus on action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating in Bangladesh, border infrastructure issues, assaults on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh-based miscreants, prevention of trans-border crimes, construction of a single-row fence, and joint efforts for implementing coordinated border management plans.
The last DG-level meeting was hosted by the BSF in New Delhi from February 17 to February 20, 2025. These bi-annual talks are held alternately in India and Bangladesh. During the February talks, the two chiefs agreed to conduct joint inspections and surveys at disputed fence construction sites. However, BSF personnel on the ground have confirmed that BGB forces have blocked single row fence(SRF) construction at several locations, despite earlier agreements reached under the previous regime. According to the officials, approximately a dozen sites remain unresolved where the two sides have yet to reach a compromise on constructing a single-row fence within 150 metres of the border.
The Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities (1975) recommend regular contact between the border forces of both nations to address administrative concerns. The first such meeting was held in December 1975. Following discussions between the Home Secretaries of India and Bangladesh in Dhaka from October 7 to 9, 1993, it was agreed that DG-level meetings would be held twice a year.
