A top-level Indo-Bangla border conference begins in the capital's pilkhana BDR Headquarters today under the lingering shadow of mistrust created by the Indian Border Security Force's indiscriminate killings of 789 Bangladeshis in over nine years on the border violating international laws and disregarding its own pledge not to do so.
The three-day Director General (DG)-level border conference is set to deal with a number of important issues including maintaining peace and security on the border strengthening joint patrol and checking smuggling and human trafficking.
An 18-member BSF delegation, led by BSF DG ML Kumawat, will attend the conference. On the other hand, the new DG of BDR, Major General Mainul Islam, will lead the 24-member Bangladesh side at the talks- the second such meeting between the two countries after the Feb 25-26 Pilkhana tragedy."Officials from Home, Foreign and Land Ministries and the Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission and high BDR officials will also participate in the conference," according to BDR sources.
Despite holding of such bilateral meetings between the two neighbours from time to time and making of pledges therein for restraint and peace, the BSF is virtually on a killing spree on the Bangladesh border. This is evident from a report of the human rights body Odhikar which says: Between 1 January 2000 and 10 July 2009 a total of 789 people were reported killed, 846 injured and 895 abducted by the BSF. BSF carried out 59 such killings this year till 10 July 2009. ---
Rubeel
www.jzom.com
The three-day Director General (DG)-level border conference is set to deal with a number of important issues including maintaining peace and security on the border strengthening joint patrol and checking smuggling and human trafficking.
An 18-member BSF delegation, led by BSF DG ML Kumawat, will attend the conference. On the other hand, the new DG of BDR, Major General Mainul Islam, will lead the 24-member Bangladesh side at the talks- the second such meeting between the two countries after the Feb 25-26 Pilkhana tragedy."Officials from Home, Foreign and Land Ministries and the Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission and high BDR officials will also participate in the conference," according to BDR sources.
Despite holding of such bilateral meetings between the two neighbours from time to time and making of pledges therein for restraint and peace, the BSF is virtually on a killing spree on the Bangladesh border. This is evident from a report of the human rights body Odhikar which says: Between 1 January 2000 and 10 July 2009 a total of 789 people were reported killed, 846 injured and 895 abducted by the BSF. BSF carried out 59 such killings this year till 10 July 2009.
Rubeel
www.jzom.com
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