India-Bangladesh home secretary level talks begin Monday

New Delhi/Agartala, Nov 29 : India and Bangladesh begin home secretary-level talks in New Delhi Monday with tackling terrorism, infiltration and border crimes, as well as smuggling of fake currency and human trafficking high on the agenda. The three-day talks come ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit beginning Dec 18, an official said.

"The Indian delegation, led by Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai, will seek help from Bangladesh to deal with security issues, specially the anti-India jehadi organisations and the northeast militants operating from its territory," a senior official told IANS.

The home secretary and Border Security Force (BSF)-Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) director general-level meetings are normal important practices between the two neighbours to deal with security and border issues.

A five-member Bangladesh delegation, headed by its Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder will participate in the three-day talks. The joint statement will be signed Dec 2 (Wednesday).

"During the talks, issues like security, border management and enhanced cooperation between law enforcement agencies would also be discussed," the official said.

Illegal migration is another issue that has been nagging bilateral relations and the matter would be discussed during the meeting.

The home secretary level meeting assumes significance ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's three-day India visit commencing Dec 18, when the two nations are expected to sign at least three agreements.

The prime ministers of India and Bangladesh are expected to meet in New Delhi on Dec 19.

"The home secretary level summit is also expected to discuss sensitive issues like smuggling of narcotics, illegal poaching of wild animals and natural resources along the border areas by Bangladeshi elements and chalk out a strategy on dealing with these problems," the official added.

"India will ask the Bangladesh side to take steps for handing over of jailed northeast militants like United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) general secretary Anup Chetia."

Following the "arrest or detention" of two top ULFA insurgents earlier this month, the BSF has intensified its vigil and stepped up patrolling along the border with Bangladesh.

The BSF troopers in the first week of this month 'detained or arrested' ULFA's self-appointed finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika and self-styled foreign secretary Shashadhar Chowdhury along the Bangladesh border in western Tripura.

Meanwhile, a large number of developmental projects along the India-Bangladesh border including river embankments, highways, bridges, irrigation projects, market sheds and drinking water sources have remained half-done for a long time after objections were raised by BDR troopers, citing the 1975 India-Bangladesh agreement. The pact had barred only defence construction on either side of the Indo-Bangla border.

The issue was raised by BSF officials during their meeting earlier this month with top BDR officials in Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh.

"We (BSF) have asked the BDR to allow Indian authorities to complete those unfinished developmental projects," a BSF spokesman said in Agartala, adding that BDR officials told them they would take up the matter with their government.

During the Sylhet meeting, the BSF had also asked its Bangladesh counterparts to dismantle around 90 camps and hideouts set up by northeastern Indian militants on their territory.

Five Indian states - West Bengal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura - share a 4,095 km border with Bangladesh. This comprises a 2,979-km land border and 1,116-km in riverine terrain.