India, Bangla to have joint patrolling

India and Bangladesh, whose normally friendly bilateral ties have been tested in recent months by border and immigration disputes, today decided to have joint patrolling of the border demarcating their own areas respective border faces. "The talks were successful as we have discussed all issues and agreed to deal with them at ground level," Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) chief Major General M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said at the end of talks in Dhaka with his Indian counterpart Ajai Raj Sharma. He said Sharma had assured him that Indian border guards would try to end cross-border shootings.
Mr. Chowdhury described an exchange of fire in northern Bangladesh’s Panchagarh border area as "an undesirable incident, it should not have happened". Sharma, the BSF DG, said the incident was "unfortunate and we have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again". The two border chiefs said a joint inquiry would look into the incident.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,000-kilometre border, five kilometers of which remain undrawn. The two sides agreed to find ways to resolve all border problems, including smuggling and trafficking of women and children, BDR officials said.Mr. Chowdhury categorically denied Indian charges that insurgents are operating from Bangladesh. "There are also no Bangladeshis staying in India illegally," he said.

Mr. Sharma, however, disagreed saying that while there was no headcount for illegal Bangladeshis, the figure could be up to two million. The two countries will conduct joint patrolling in sensitive parts of their borders where incidents of push in or firing take place frequently. BSF and BDR also agreed to hold joint enquiring in case of tension erupting at any point on the frontiers. Sharma said that joint patrolling would start from the first of August after working out necessary modalities.

The two sides agreed to prepare lists of all disputed constructions near the zero line by the end of next month.
                    
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