NEW DELHI, Sep 10: The four day bi-annual talks between India’s Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers began today to discuss modalities of bringing peace at the International border, which has been witnessing a spat of ceasefire violations from across the divide with a matching response from the Indian side.
Major General Umar Farooq Burki, Director General, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) led a 16-member Pakistani delegation to India.
The 23-member Indian delegation was led by D K Pathak, IPS, DG BSF. Both the delegations also had representatives from respective home and foreign ministries along with officers from narcotics control and survey department. “The talks were being held in a most congenial and positive environment,” a statement issued by the BSF said.
Both sides are back at the table after a gap of 21 months. More than 200 incidents of ceasefire violation have been recorded since then, the latest being yesterday, when sniper fire from across the border in North Kashmir area injured two BSF jawans.
The resumption of the talks, which will conclude on Saturday with the signing of “Joint Record of Discussions” between the DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers, is the result of an understanding reached between the Prime Ministers of the two countries, Mr Narendra Modi and Mr Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, Russia during the G-summit in July this year.
“During the conference, discussions will be held on important issues like cross border firing, infiltration and smuggling etc. The talks will also endeavor to focus on positive issues like different levels of communication, more simultaneous coordinated patrolling and other confidence building measures,” the BSF statement said.
“The talks will also endeavour to focus on positive issues like different levels of communication, more simultaneous coordinated patrolling and other confidence building measures,” the statement added.
During the Home Secretary level talks held in Islamabad from May 20-24, 1989, it was decided that officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers would hold Bi-Annual meetings and review the implementation of the agreed norms of cooperation between the two Border Guarding Forces.
It was envisaged that the top leadership of both the Border Guarding Forces will meet periodically and discuss issues of relevance to both the forces. Issues requiring coordinated efforts like dealing with drug menace, smuggling, simultaneous coordinated patrolling, timely exchange of information among others were to form the core of discussions.
In accordance to the understanding, the first such meeting between top brass of BSF and Rangers was held at Amritsar in November 1993. (UNI)
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