56th BGB-BSF DG-Level Border Conference opens in Dhaka

The 56th Director General-level border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) began Tuesday afternoon at the BGB headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka.

The Bangladesh side is represented by a 21-member delegation led by BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui. The team includes senior BGB officials as well as representatives from the Chief Advisor’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Shipping, Roads Division, Land Survey Department, Joint Rivers Commission, and the Department of Narcotics Control.

India’s 11-member delegation is headed by BSF Director General Shri Daljit Singh Chowdhury, IPS, and includes senior BSF officers along with representatives from the Indian Ministries of Home and External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

The conference agenda covers a wide range of border management issues, including prevention of border killings, push-ins, and illegal infiltration. Discussions are also focusing on tackling cross-border crimes such as drug, arms, and contraband smuggling; halting unauthorised infrastructure construction within 150 yards of the border; and implementing development activities in sensitive areas.

Both sides are also expected to deliberate on riverbank protection, equitable sharing of border river waters, and joint steps under the Integrated Border Management Plan. Reducing tensions caused by recent anti-Bangladesh propaganda in the Indian media and strengthening overall bilateral cooperation are also on the table.

Reporter: Salim Reza