Bangladesh will not accept border ‘push-ins’ from India, says State Minister Shama

Border management and several issues, including push-ins, will be discussed at next week's BGB-BSF summit in Delhi, she says

Bangladesh will continue to resist any attempt to push people across the border from India under the label of “infiltrators”, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.

She said Dhaka hopes India’s expressed willingness to adapt to Bangladesh’s evolving circumstances will be matched by actions on the ground.

On Monday, she said: “Since West Bengal elections and the new government’s arrival, every time we have spoken with India, they have spoken positively that they will not conduct push-ins, and they have responded positively regarding other complexities we are facing with them, including visas and other matters.

“Regarding the paradigm shift we are hearing about and how they will decide what their foreign policy towards Bangladesh will be, we hope that decision will be positive.”

Shama said, “And if it is not positive, we will certainly speak with them at the political and diplomatic levels, and try to resolve it through dialogue.

“But under no circumstances will we accept that they will conduct push-ins.”

She pointed out that border management and different issues, including push-ins, will be discussed at the meeting between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in Delhi next week.

“We hope that the BGB will maintain a very firm stance. They will present the government’s stance and a peaceful situation will prevail at our border.”