Bangladesh plans to change its ‘tone’ with India during meeting between border forces

Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury says that Bangladesh will change its “tone” in negotiating with India during the border security meeting

Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury says that Bangladesh will change its “tone” of negotiation with India about the unequal India-Bangladesh border treaty signed under the previous government at the director general level meeting of border authorities from both countries.

He made the remarks to the media at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

Bangladesh and India are set to have the first meeting of the director generals of the border forces in both countries after the Awami League was toppled by a mass uprising and the interim government took power.

The meeting will be held from Feb 17 to Feb 20 in India.

"In today’s meeting, we discussed the agendas of the director general level meeting and Bangladesh’s stance on different issues,” the advisor said.

The director general of Border Guard Bangladesh said: “We will not be lenient about the important issues we discussed [today], including stopping killings at the border, the construction of structures within 150 yards of the border, and river issues.”

In addition to the heads of the border forces in both countries, the director general level meeting will include representatives from the foreign ministry, home ministry, the Survey of Bangladesh, the Land Record and Survey Department, and the Joint River Commission, the home advisor said.

"This time at the meeting, we’ll discuss the following issues - stopping BSF and Indian criminals opening fire and killing or injuring innocent Bangladeshis; an end to the detention of Bangladeshi farmers from the border areas; ceasing Indian nationals trespassing in Bangladesh; abolishing drug factories at the borders; ensuring no construction of unpermitted structures within 150 yards of the border; prevention of industrial waste entering Bangladesh through Agartala; implementation of water treaties to ensure equal distribution of river water, and the construction of border pillars at Feni’s Muhurir Char to demarcate the borders,” the advisor said.

The meeting agendas also include ending the false propaganda in the Indian media and talk of a coordinated border management plan, he said.

The journalists asked Jahangir what would be new if the same issues had been discussed at previous director general level meetings.

“The novelty is, this time, Bangladesh will speak in a different tone. Not as it did earlier,” he said.

“We’ll discuss how to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and increase mutual trust,” he said.

In response to a question about the construction of structures within 150 yards, Advisor Jahangir said: “The last government had signed four border treaties with India. Among them, the one signed in 2010 has some significant problems. Bangladesh signed some points which are not equal for both countries. The Bangladesh government has permitted them to set up things within the zero line of the Angorpota and Dahagram areas.”

Under that treaty, India said that Bangladesh could use the Tinbigha corridor for 24 hours, but Bangladesh gave Berubari ages ago in exchange of Tinbigha, he explained.

Hence, the treaty became unequal, the home advisor said.

Mentioning some other treaties, the advisor said that Bangladesh would ask India to scrap some of the treaties. “We can’t just scrap them on our own. So, we’ll discuss with them and tell them how the treaties should be remade.”