‘Will Soon be Dropped to Zero': Bangladesh Home Minister on Cross-Border Issues

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday said that cross-border issues like increasing infiltration, and cattle smuggling are the concerns of both India and Bangladesh while assuring that the Director General of Police (DGP) of both countries are working hard to control these kinds of issues which "will soon be dropped to zero".

"It's the problem of both sides. It's not only from the side of Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) DGP and India's Border Security Force (BSF) DGP are working hard to control these kinds of issues and soon we will be able to drop down to zero," Asaduzzaman Khan told ANI in reply to a question on what steps are being taken from the Bangladeshi side on cross-border issues like increasing infiltration, and cattle smuggling.

The Bangladeshi Home Minister made the remarks while participating in the Retreat ceremony at Petrapol. He was accompanied by the newly appointed DG BGB Major General A K M Nazmul and IPS, Inspector General, South Bengal Frontier, BSF Atul Fulzele.

Petrapole is the Indian side of the Petrapole-Benapole border checkpoint between India and Benapole of Bangladesh, on the Bangladesh-India border.

During the occasion as a gesture of good relations, flowers, bouquets and sweets were exchanged by officials from both countries.

Asaduzzaman on the occasion, while speaking exclusively to ANI, about India-Bangladesh relations, said: "We have very old relations, we feel India is with us and we support India in whatever decisions they take."

Atul Fulzele, IPS, Inspector General, South Bengal Frontier while speaking to ANI about the Retreat ceremony, said: "This initiative has been taken to the border children to show how border forces work so that they get attracted towards border security forces ..we showcase weapon exhibition to show border rules that forces are playing to safeguard the border integrity. We take them to retreat ceremony to show how both the border security forces are friendly and working jointly to safeguard the border."

The Petrapole-Benapole Border Ceremony takes place every evening from 1630-1700 hrs.

Petrapole-Benapole Joint Retreat Ceremony was inaugurated on November 6, 2013 by the then Home Minister at ICP Petrapole in the presence of Home Minister of Bangladesh. It is a daily military exercise similar to the Attari-Wagah Border Ceremony and engages soldiers of Border Security Force (India) and the Border Guard Bangladesh, BSF statement reads.

The timings of the Joint Retreat Ceremony may vary as per timings of sunset. This Joint Retreat Ceremony of 30 minutes resulting in the lowering of the national flags of India and Bangladesh is jointly conducted by BSF (Border Security Force) and BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh).

(with inputs from ANI)

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