50th BSF-BGB biannual talks to begin Sunday

The 50th biannual talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and its counterparts in Bangladesh, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), will take place in Dhaka this Sunday.

The newly-appointed BSF DG Rakesh Asthana will lead the six-day talks at the BGB's Pilkhana headquarters with his BGB counterpart, Major General M Shafeenul Islam. Asthana will be leading nearly a dozen officers from various government departments including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the External Affairs Ministry.

The issue of killings on the Indo-Bangla border are likely to dominate the talks.

The Indian side will focus on issues such as joint border security management, fencing of unfenced areas, curbing cross-border crimes and smuggling, especially drugs; construction of barbed wire fencing as well as fake currency.

The Bangladesh side will take up issues like killings of its people on the Indo-Bangladesh border, an important issue, marring relations between the two countries. At least 33 Bangladeshi nationals were killed along the countries' frontiers until August 2020.

The two sides plan to take up a number of confidence building measures to improve relations between the border forces and are likely to sign an accord as well..