India-Bangladesh talks in Delhi: First meet since Sheikh Hasina's exit to focus on border security, says report

The meeting is expected to enhance coordination between the two border guarding forces, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) source told The Indian Express.

The Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will hold their biannual talks in Delhi from February 17-20, marking the first official meeting since the fall of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, The Indian Express reported.

Key issues on the agenda include physical fencing along the border, curbing smuggling and trans-border crimes, attacks on BSF personnel, and insurgent camps. The meeting is expected to enhance coordination between the two border guarding forces, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) source told The Indian Express.

The BSF has finalised arrangements for the meeting in consultation with the home ministry, with a major focus on addressing the fencing gap along the 4,096.7 km India-Bangladesh border. Currently, 3,196.705 km of the border is fenced, while 864.482 km remains unfenced, including 174.514 km of non-feasible terrain. Challenges such as land acquisition issues, objections from the BGB, seasonal constraints, and difficult terrain have hindered progress, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha earlier this week.

According to The Indian Express, last year, the BSF filed 85 protest notes with the BGB. The source added that recent leadership changes in Bangladesh’s border security force have slowed decision-making, as new personnel take time to settle into their roles. Previously, the BGB’s officer in charge would make final decisions on minor issues, but now higher-ups are increasingly involved in decision-making.

The India-Bangladesh border talks were held annually between 1975 and 1992 before becoming biannual in 1993. As per the tentative agenda, both forces will discuss the implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), along with concerns over BSF personnel injuries during border duty and the presence of insurgent camps in Bangladesh.