New Delhi: The Bangladeshi foreign ministry called in Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh named Pranay Verma for a meeting at the Bangladesh Foreign Office on Sunday, Bangladeshi news outlets. The purpose of the meeting was to address border-related concerns.
Verma, speaking to the media after the meeting, said that both Dhaka and New Delhi have established agreements on border fencing for security purposes. He said that the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been in active communication on the matter. Verma said he has hope that these agreements would be implemented successfully, fostering a cooperative approach to combating border-related crimes.
Border activities halted
Prior to this, Bangladesh’s home affairs adviser, Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, had said that the Foreign Ministry was informed and that Verma might be summoned for discussions regarding issues along the Indo-Bangla border. Chowdhury said that work at all disputed border points had been halted, with no further activities permitted.
Chowdhury said that several problems along the Bangladesh-India border stemmed from unequal agreements made during the previous government’s tenure. He credited the efforts of the Bangladeshi people and the BGB for forcing India to cease certain actions, such as the construction of barbed wire fences. Chowdhury also said that Bangladesh and India are governed by four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on border-related matters.
Defence development restrictions
Among these, the 1975 MoU stipulates that no defence-related development can take place within 150 yards of the zero line. Another MoU requires mutual consent for any development within this boundary and any such activity requires prior agreement between both countries.
The India-Bangladesh border, one of the longest international boundaries, has seen frequent tensions over security issues and cross-border movement. Verma’s meeting with Bangladesh’s foreign secretary, Jashim Uddin, lasted around 45 minutes, but no official statement was issued by the interim government regarding the meeting. However, it was confirmed that the Indian envoy had been summoned.
