| |
Border Security Force (BSF)
and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) are meeting in Assam to find ways to work better together and are considering a range of initiatives that would better confidence between the two forces bickering over one issue or the other.
At this scheduled bi-annual event, respective chiefs are discussing contentious issues such as such as border management, illegal migration, training and shelter to anti-India terrorists by Bangladesh, and trans-border crimes. Specifically, India is expected to bring up:
Extradition of jailed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leaders Arbind Rajkhowa and Anup Chetia and 111 other terrorists belonging to People's Liberation Army, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, and National Liberation Front of Tripura in Bangladesh jails for trial in India
Dismantling 172 terror camps run by North East insurgents including joint coordinated crackdowns on terror groups like the one done with Bhutan
Ways to prevent terrorists from kidnapping Indian Government officials and children and using Bangladesh as safe haven to extract a ransom
Recent
“unprovoked firing” by BDR in Assam's Cachar Sector.
Resistance by BDR to border fencing and other development activities along the border
Creation of a ceremonial retreat like the Wagah border to build bonhomie between the two forces.
Bangladesh has consistently denied Indian accusation that
its territory is being used as a terrorist base and that illegal migrants enter India through the porous 4095 kilometer border with more than half of them in the North-Eastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. It has also rebuffed Indian attempts to find a solution and blocked development efforts of the North Eastern states by refusing land or sea port access forcing India to seek Myanmar’s help to
develop Sittwe port to reach North East in an economical manner. Even the Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s
premier visit to India was without much import.
Six task forces of Indian and Bangla businessmen investigated
ways to improve bilateral trade and India is even considering
withdrawing a ban of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Bangladesh. However, continued recalcitrant and abrasive attitude in even allowing large Indian investment has essentially evaporated any support within India to improve relations with Bangladesh. Now,
officials are eagerly watching the forthcoming elections and hoping that the extreme right-wing Zia does not come back to power so bilateral relationship can be improved.
|
