BGB-BSF meeting begins in city

The director general (DG) level formal border talks between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) began at Peelkhana BGB headquarters in the city on Friday. BGB’s DG Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed is leading a 23-member Bangladesh delegation while his Indian counterpart Shri Devendra Kumar Pathak a 20-man Indian delegation to the conference. A Joint Record of Discussions is expected to be signed at the conference on December 29. The Indian delegation arrived in Dhaka on Thursday. Various security issues, including the killings of Bangladeshi nationals, their arrest, kidnapping and torture, attack on BGB members, illegal trespassing into Bangladesh territories, smuggling of firearms, ammunition and explosives as well as contraband narcotics into Bangladesh from India along the 4,000-km porous border are expected to be high on agenda of the conference. A friendly volleyball match between the two border guards will be held on Thursday evening at the Indoor Stadium, Mirpur, according to a news agency.