DHAKA
\nBangladesh and India have agreed to deepen cooperation along their shared border with improved intelligence sharing and coordinated patrols, according \u200cto a joint statement released on Friday, amid strained relations over alleged undocumented migration.
\nDhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to force migrants across the border without due process, complicating efforts to stabilise ties following the 2024 ousting of Sheikh Hasina and India\u2019s broader effort to identify and deport undocumented migrants.
\nBorder Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India\u2019s Border Security Force (BSF) described the discussions as \u201ccordial, positive and forward-looking\u201d, according to the statement released at the end of a four-day meeting of top border officials in New Delhi.
\nBangladesh and India share a more than 4,000-kilometre border, one of the world\u2019s longest. India\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs key border states including Tripura, West Bengal and Assam, has said tackling alleged undocumented migration is a priority and has been trying to push Bengali-speaking Muslims branded \u201cillegal infiltrators\u201d into Bangladesh since last year. <\/p>\n
The regular talks also covered \u201cillegal, inadvertent and forcible crossing at border areas,\u201d an increasingly contentious issue in recent months.<\/p>\n
Bangladesh has said it has sent more than a dozen letters to New Delhi seeking an end to the practice.
\nThe \u200cBGB has reported foiling several alleged attempts in recent weeks and has stepped up deployments, intelligence operations and drone surveillance in border areas. Earlier this week, Bangladesh\u2019s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said that any push-ins without due process were \u201cabsolutely unacceptable,\u201d warning they could undermine efforts to improve bilateral ties.
\nBangladesh said it had intensified patrols and launched awareness campaigns along parts of the frontier to tackle the alleged forced crossings, while India said in May it had asked Dhaka to verify the nationality of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshi nationals living in India without formal documentation. The joint statement said the two sides also discussed human trafficking, border deaths, smuggling, infrastructure and implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHAKA Bangladesh and India have agreed to deepen cooperation along their shared border with improved intelligence sharing and coordinated patrols, according \u200cto a joint statement released on Friday, amid strained relations over alleged undocumented migration. Dhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to force migrants across the border without due process, complicating efforts to stabilise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-550980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n