Tension in the border: India summons Bangladesh envoy in New Delhi
The development came a day after Bangladesh ‘summoned’ Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma and conveyed deep concern over the recent activities of the BSF along the Bangladesh-India border
India on Monday summoned Bangladesh's acting High Commissioner in New Delhi Md Nural Islam over border-related issues, a diplomatic source told UNB.
The development came a day after Bangladesh 'summoned' Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma and conveyed deep concern during a meeting at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday over the recent activities of the Border Security Force (BSF) of India along the Bangladesh-India border.
On Sunday (12 January), Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin called upon the government of India to advise all the authorities concerned in India to refrain from "any provocative actions" that could escalate tensions along the shared border.
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"We have an understanding with regard to fencing the border for security. Our two border guard enforcements - BSF and BGB - have been in communication in this regard," the High Commissioner told reporters in his statement after the meeting that lasted over half an hour.
Verma expressed the hope that the understandings that the two border forces have will be implemented in a cooperative approach in combating the crimes along the border.
The High Commissioner said he met the Foreign Secretary to discuss India's commitment to ensuring a crime-free border and effectively addressing the challenges of smuggling and trafficking.
The Foreign Secretary stressed that such activities particularly the unauthorised attempt to construct barbed wire fencing and the related operational actions by BSF, have caused tensions and disturbances along the border.
He said that the construction of barbed-wire fences without proper authorisation undermines the spirit of cooperation and friendly relations between the two neighbouring countries.
The Foreign Secretary hoped that the upcoming BGB-BSF DG level talks would be able to discuss the matter at length.
The India-Bangladesh border, one of the longest international borders in the world, has often been a point of contention, with incidents ranging from border security issues to the movement of people.
