Special Report
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And the Talks Continue
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The DG-level talks between the BSF and Pak Rangers are becoming a talk-fest
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DG BSF Uthan Bansal and DG Pak Rangers (Sindh) Maj. Gen Rizwan Akhtar at the bi-annual meet in New Delhi
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By Dilip Kumar Mekala
On 1 July 2012, an 18 member delegation headed by the director general of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh), Major General Rizwan Akhtar, arrived in New Delhi to participate in a five day, bi-annual meeting. The Indian delegation, 21 member strong, was led by UK Bansal, Director General, Border Security Force (BSF). Director General (DG) level border talks have usually been held in Amritsar, Chandigarh or Jalandhar. This is the first time they were held in New Delhi.
Originally planned as a bi-annual meet, the talks this time happened after a span of one and a half years. Speaking to FORCE, a highly placed BSF official explained the delay. According to him, “Six months after the last DG level meet that happened in Lahore, the BSF invited our Pakistani counterparts to New Delhi. Initially, they agreed to come, but they later cancelled, citing internal
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compulsions”. The next meeting will be held in Pakistan and a formal invitation will have to come from them. An inordinate delay in extending the invitation, or a re-think by the BSF, could postpone or cancel the meet.
“An open communication channel is the only way to resolve long-standing issues between the two countries”, another BSF official said. “This latest meeting in New Delhi will carry more weight in future talks. It will send a message that the Indian side is serious about resolving conflicts. Hopefully, this will make the situation along the border a little friendlier”, he added.
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