New Delhi, Jan 13: India conveyed to Bangladesh's Acting High Commissioner to India, Md. Nural Islam, that it has followed "all protocols and agreements" regarding security measures at the border, including fencing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Monday.
Md. Nural Islam was summoned to the MEA's South Block at 2:00 pm on Monday, where India reiterated its commitment to maintaining a "crime-free border" and addressing issues like "cross-border criminal activities, smuggling, movement of criminals, and trafficking." India emphasized that the measures taken, such as barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices, and cattle fences, are part of efforts to secure the border.
The MEA's statement highlighted that India has adhered to all protocols and agreements with Bangladesh regarding security at the border, including the coordination between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
India also expressed its expectation that Bangladesh will uphold prior understandings and work cooperatively to combat cross-border crimes. "India conveyed its expectation that all earlier understandings will be implemented by Bangladesh and that there will be a cooperative approach to combating cross-border crimes," the MEA added.
This development followed the summoning of Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma, by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Sunday. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry had expressed "deep concern" over recent fencing activities along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin, met with Pranay Verma to convey the government's objections regarding the actions of the Border Security Force (BSF) at the border.
