BDR, BSF discuss irritant issues
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at a deputy director general level meeting at Tamabil check post yesterday agreed to maintain status quo on the disputed farmlands along the border until the joint survey is done.
BDR Deputy Director General Brigadier General Obaidul Haque led a nine-men team while BSF Inspector General of Shillong Prithvi Raj led a seven-member team at the talks that continued for five and half an hours from 11:00am.
After the meeting, Major Kohinur Alam of BDR Sylhet sector, told this correspondent that they raised the issues like abduction of BDR nayek Mujibur Rahman by BSF men from Jaintapur border on February 4, BSF firing on innocent villagers on February 14 and an attempt to catch fish in a water body inside Bangladesh territory at the talks.
The BSF expressed sorrow for the incidents and assured its Bangladesh counterpart of taking necessary measures to contain such incidents, he said, adding that BDR officials also assured the BSF of maintaining peaceful atmosphere on the border.
Trans-border problems like trafficking, arms smuggling, barbed wire fencing, border river disputes, kidnapping and killing of Bangladesh nationals on borders also came up for discussion at the meeting.
Our correspondent from Satkhira reported that a battalion commander level flag meeting between BDR and BSF was held at Bhomra frontier in Sadar upazila yesterday.
Both sides agreed to resolve some major border disputes through discussions and also took some measures to avoid untoward incidents on the border.
Commanding officer Lt Col Azim of 41 Rifles Battalion and 94 BSF Battalion Commandant Col Ananta Singh led their respective teams at the meeting.
BSF placed some proposals including construction of a two lane road on Indian side along Bhomra land port to cope with the expanding border trade and re-excavation of Baikari canal. BDR officials said they would send the proposals to the BDR higher authorities.
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