The 57th Director General-level Border Coordination Conference between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is scheduled to take place from June 8 to June 11 in New Delhi. Key issues on the agenda include fence breaching by Bangladeshi nationals, prevention of assaults on BSF personnel and Indian civilians, and curbing trans-border crimes.
Key Discussion Points
The four-day conference will address several critical matters, including preventing the entry of Bangladeshi criminals into India, construction of border fences, action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) based in Bangladesh, border infrastructure issues, and Confidence Building Measures (CBM). The broader objective is to enhance coordination between the two border guarding forces.
Delegations and Leadership
The BSF delegation will be led by its Director General, Praveen Kumar, while the BGB delegation will be headed by Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh. The last such conference was held in Dhaka from August 25 to August 28, 2024.
Historical Context
The Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities of 1975 emphasize frequent contacts between border authorities to address immediate administrative concerns. The first meeting between the BSF and BGB (then BDR) took place in Kolkata on December 2, 1975, led by Ashwani Kumar and Major General Quazi Golam Dastgir. Annual meetings were held alternately in India and Bangladesh until 1993, when it was agreed during Home Secretaries' talks in Dhaka (October 7-9, 1993) that the meetings would become bi-annual.
These bi-annual Border Coordination meetings are held alternately in Delhi and Dhaka, and a joint record of discussions is submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs after each meeting. The conference aims to resolve problems of mutual interest through close contacts and meaningful dialogue at various levels.
