BGB chief to visit India 16-19 Feb, hold talks with BSF DG

The heads of the border guard forces of India and Bangladesh will meet in New Delhi in mid-February for the first time since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government to discuss key issues such as the fencing of the boundary and tackling trans-border crime.

The Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, will travel to India during 16-19 February for talks with the head of the Border Security Force (BSF), Daljit Singh Chawdhary, people familiar with preparations for the meeting said on condition of anonymity on yesterday (22 January).

Siddiqui's trip is expected to be preceded by a visit by Bangladesh's de facto energy and power minister Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan during 10-12 February to participate in the India Energy Week 2025, Hindustan Times reported.

These will be the first high-level visits from the Bangladeshi side since the formation of the interim government last August and Khan is also expected to meet his Indian counterpart.

Bilateral ties hit a low after the ouster of Hasina, who is currently in self-exile in India, and the caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has begun reviewing understandings and agreements finalised with India by the previous government.

India-Bangladesh ties, already under strain over the targeting of minorities in the neighbouring country, took another hit with recent tensions along the border after the BGB objected to the BSF's efforts to erect a fence at five locations as part of efforts to control criminal activities.

Among the key issues to be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the heads of the BSF and the BGB is the implementation of "single row fence (SRF)" on the border, which India wants to complete in unfenced areas of the frontier at the earliest, Hindustan Times said.

However, the BGB has objected to the construction of the fencing on the grounds that it violates an understanding that both sides will not build any defensive structures within 150 yards of the border. The external affairs ministry on 13 January summoned Bangladesh's most senior diplomat in New Delhi and made it clear that all security measures on the frontier were in keeping with existing agreements and protocols.

Other important issues expected to come up in the meeting are combating cross-border smuggling, including the trafficking of narcotics and cattle, and human trafficking, the people said.

Officials who declined to be named said the BGB has been actively tracking elements involved in human trafficking on the Bangladeshi side. The Indian side is expected to tell the BGB chief that enhanced cooperation is required to stop illegal immigration and smuggling, one official said.

The officials added that contrary to rumours, there is no widespread movement of people from the Bangladesh side and the BGB has been cooperative in efforts to tackle illegal migration.

India has a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh that is marked by difficult terrain such as hills, rivers and valleys, with cross-border crimes and illegal migration perceived as the major challenges. In order to prevent illegal migration and criminal activities from across the border, the Indian government sanctioned the phased construction of border fencing with floodlights. So far, 3196.7 km of the border have been fenced.

Besides participating in the India Energy Week, Bangladesh's de facto energy minister Khan is expected to discuss energy connectivity and cooperation with Indian interlocutors, the people said. A cross-border energy pipeline continues to be operational though the interim government in Dhaka has expressed concerns about the pricing of electricity supplied by Adani Power and said it hopes to renegotiate the deal.