DHAKA, Jan 12: The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Sunday called in Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma amid rising border tensions.
This development follows allegations from Dhaka that India is attempting to erect fences at five locations along the Indo-Bangla border, which they claim breaches an existing bilateral agreement.
Verma arrived at the foreign ministry around 3:00 pm (local time), and his discussion with Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin reportedly lasted around 45 minutes, according to the state-run BSS news agency.
Although no formal statement was released by the interim government concerning the meeting, officials confirmed that the envoy was indeed summoned.
After the meeting, Verma informed the media that Dhaka and New Delhi “have mutual understandings regarding border fencing for security purposes.”
“Our border forces, the BSF and BGB (Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh), have maintained communication about this matter. We anticipate that these understandings will be put into practice and that there will be a collaborative effort to tackle crime along the border,” Verma stated.
Earlier, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury mentioned that India had halted the construction of barbed wire fencing along the border due to significant pushback from the Border Guard Bangladesh and local residents.
During a media briefing, Chowdhury noted that certain inequitable agreements made during the previous government have led to various issues along the Bangladesh-India border.
“Nevertheless, the persistent efforts of our citizens and the BGB have compelled India to cease specific activities, including the installation of barbed wire fences,” he said.
Chowdhury highlighted that there are four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between Bangladesh and India that regulate border activities.
“Among these, the 1975 MoU explicitly states that no developments with defensive potential are allowed within 150 yards of the zero line. Another MoU dictates that no development activities can occur within this boundary without mutual consent. Thus, any such undertakings require prior agreements between both nations,” he explained.
The adviser noted that India has already constructed fences along 3,271 kilometers of the 4,156-kilometer border with Bangladesh, leaving about 885 kilometers unfenced.
He criticized the prior government led by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina for granting India unequal advantages, which resulted in conflicts regarding barbed wire fencing at 160 locations between 2010 and 2023.
“Recently, disputes have arisen in five areas, including (northwestern) Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Lalmonirhat, and the Tin Bigha Corridor. Due to the strong positions taken by the BGB and the local populace, India has been compelled to pause its operations,” he added.
He elaborated that under the 1974 agreement, Bangladesh ceded Berubari to India after parliamentary approval, with the understanding that India would grant Bangladesh access to the Tin Bigha Corridor. However, this obligation has not been honored or ratified by India in its parliament, he stated.
“They used to open the corridor for an hour and then shut it for another hour. Eventually, in 2010, an agreement was established to keep the corridor open 24 hours. However, this agreement also permitted India to build a border fence along the zero line at Angarpota, contradicting the 150-yard rule,” he added.
“Currently, as we oppose this construction, we encounter difficulties since Bangladesh is a signatory to the 2010 agreement,” he continued, indicating that the foreign ministry has taken up the issue for diplomatic discussions. (PTI)
