BSF-Pakistan Rangers meeting starts in Punjab

AMRITSAR - The four-day biannual meeting between representatives of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers started here Sunday in this border city of Punjab.

BSF Special Director General (west) P.P.S. Sidhu is heading the Indian delegation that includes senior officials of the para-military force from the frontiers of Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat and the BSF headquarters in New Delhi.

Officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are also participating in the meeting.

The Pakistani delegation is headed by Director General of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)Muhammad Yaqub Khan. Officials of the Anti-Narcotics Force and the Survey of Pakistan are also accompanying the delegation. They are scheduled to return to Pakistan March 31 through the joint check-post at Attari, BSF Punjab frontier Deputy Inspector General Jagir Singh told IANS Sunday.

Issues related to defence construction, firing incidents across the border, drug trafficking, infiltration, smuggling of arms, ammunition and fake currency and other problems pertaining to border security will be discussed during the meeting, he added.

The BSF guards 553-km fenced border with Pakistan that passes through Punjab.

According to the BSF, nearly 15 rocket shells were fired from the Pakistan side in the Amritsar area in June, September (last year) and in January this year.

After every attack, the BSF had lodged a formal protest with Pakistan Rangers but nothing concrete has come out of it till now.

Cases of infiltration and smuggling across the border are also on the rise across the border. In two separate incidents in the last 10 days, the BSF have gunned down three Pakistani intruders and recovered 26 kg of heroin and fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs.83 lakh.

The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to visit New Delhi, Ajmer and Agra during this visit.