Rohingya issue also comes up at BSF, BGB DG-level talks

New Delhi: Curbing movement of Rohingya refugees, smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, narcotics and human trafficking were among the issues discussed on the first day of Director General-level border talks between Border Security Force (BSF) and the visiting delegation of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) here on Tuesday, sources said.

The four-day talks, which will end on October 5 with signing of a Joint Record of Discussion (JRD), went on from Tuesday morning at the BSF headquarters between a 26-member Indian delegation led by BSF Director General K. K. Sharma and a 24-member delegation of Bangladesh led by BGB chief Maj Gen Abul Hossain where they discussed the measures to stop the menace of smuggling of contraband items, including liquor, phensidyl, cannabis and other narcotics.

The BGB delegation also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

Sources said that both the sides discussed the recent incidents of movement of Rohingya Muslims across the border during the DG-level talks.

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Senior officials of BSF's frontier Inspector Generals and representatives of Ministries of Home and External Affairs, the National Investigation Agency, and the Narcotic Control Bureau were present in the meeting.

On the other hand, the Bangladesh delegation included sector commanders concerned, high officials of BGB headquarters, and members of Home and Foreign ministries, Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), Survey of Bangladesh and Land Record and Survey Department.

The two sides are also expected to discuss trans-border crimes, including cattle smuggling; activities of Indian insurgent groups based in Bangladesh, prevention of illegal migration, joint efforts for effective implementation of common agenda programmes and other confidence-building measures in the bi-annual talks between the chiefs of the border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh, sources said.

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Both the delegation will also take up issues that were discussed when a BSF delegation visited Bangladesh in February this year.

Review of the single-row fence being erected to secure over 250 villages ahead of the existing barbed-wire fence along the International Border to curb cross-border crimes and instil a sense of security among the inhabitants of the area is also the agenda of discussion.

India has 4,096-km international boundary with Bangladesh.

--IANS