With a view to curbing smuggling on the Punjab border, India and Pakistan have decided to adopt zero tolerance towards smugglers and infiltrators, agreeing to ensure immediate release of people who happen to cross border inadvertently.
These decisions were taken during the five-day meeting between the BSF director general Subhash Joshi and director general of Pakistani Rangers Tahir Javed Khan. The meeting was held in Lahore and the BSF delegation that had gone to Pakistan on December 24 returned back on Saturday evening.
Subhash Joshi, however, refrained from talking to mediapersons while issuing a written statement about the decisions taken in the high-level meeting between the two forces.
A BSF communiqué said the meeting was held in very cordial manner and both the BSF and the Pak Rangers reached upon a consensus to utilise the available communication channels effectively to control violations at the border.
A consensus was reached on matters such as stopping illegal construction, removing wild growth and maintenance of boundary pillars.
Both the BSF and Pakistani Rangers also decided that regular meetings between two border-guarding forces will be held to ensure peace at all levels of command.
{{/usCountry}}Both the BSF and Pakistani Rangers also decided that regular meetings between two border-guarding forces will be held to ensure peace at all levels of command.
{{/usCountry}}The both made a detailed plan to survey all border pillars and carry out their repair and maintenance.
Joshi proposed a series of confidence-building measures (CBMs) such as visit of schoolchildren of BSF and Pak Rangers on either side, sector-level meetings at Amritsar and Lahore and sporting activities between the two forces.