Photo: Collected
Bangladesh's tone in the upcoming border conference between the directors of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) of India will be different, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said today (29 January).
Speaking to reporters at a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said all unequal agreements made with India during the tenure of the Awami League government will be reviewed and discussed.
"The upcoming meeting in New Delhi will focus on issues such as ending border killings and other bilateral concerns. The BGB-BSF Director General-level meeting will prioritise restoring mutual trust in India-Bangladesh relations," he added.
He further mentioned that discussions will include stopping border killings, ensuring that barbed wire fencing or any construction work within 150 yards of the border follows regulations, and preventing the spread of false news about Bangladesh in Indian media.
He also mentioned border killings, stressing that those, whether by the BSF, Indian citizens or others must be stopped.
"It has been seen many times that the BSF and some miscreants abducted Bangladeshi citizens while they were doing agricultural work. This must be stopped," he said.
The home advisers also touched upon Phensedyl factories set up in the border areas, saying the issue would also be discussed.
The 55th BGB-BSF Director General Level Border Conference will be held in New Delhi, India, from 17-20 February. In preparation for this conference, an inter-ministerial meeting was held today with the participation of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to discuss various bilateral issues concerning the Bangladesh-India border.
Other issues such as smuggling, illegal infiltration, human trafficking, equitable distribution of river water, water withdrawal from rivers, implementation of water treaties, and riverbank protection initiatives were also discussed during the meeting.
Messenger/JRTarek
