New Delhi, Sept. 27: India can gauge to what extent Bangladesh is interested in addressing its security concerns and improving ties when the Border Security Force and its counterpart kick off talks from tomorrow to strengthen vigil along the 4,000-km porous border.
At a meeting between home secretaries of the two countries in Dhaka earlier this month, the neighbours had ?agreed in principle? to Delhi?s proposal of ?simultaneous and co-ordinated? patrolling of the border.
The five-day meeting here between the BSF and the BDR will decide, among other things, ways to check unrestrained movement of insurgents and criminals.
The Bangladeshi delegation, led by BDR chief Major General Jehangir Alam Chowdhury, reached Delhi today. BSF director-general Ajai Raj Sharma will lead the Indian side.
Over the next few days, the two sides will discuss issues related to the barbed-wire fencing by India along the border, the 6.5 km of the border yet to be demarcated, and co-operation between narcotics controlling agencies of the countries.
The Indian establishment is keen to pick up the signals that will be sent across by Bangladesh through the BDR-led delegation.
?This will be the first meeting between the two sides after the home secretaries? meeting in Dhaka. Naturally, we are keen to see what message Bangladesh wants to convey to us through its delegation,? a foreign ministry official said. He pointed out that there were some agreements between the two sides at the last meeting and the next few days will indicate whether Bangladesh is serious about them.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, claims India?s ?high-handed? policies are responsible for the current tension in relations. Bangladeshi officials say that while Delhi makes no effort to remove trade barriers and give easier access to the Indian market, it insists on greater co-operation from Bangladesh on its security concerns.
South Block is not clear about where India-Bangladesh relations are headed. ?We want to remain engaged with Bangladesh, but it cannot be an open-ended policy. The talks must lead somewhere,? a foreign ministry official said.
