The talks between Indo-Pak border forces are being held after more than one-and-a-half-years.
Unprovoked cross-border shelling and infiltration attempts from the other side of the International Border (IB) in Jammu will be at the centre of talks between Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers in New Delhi starting Thursday.
The 15-member visiting Pakistan delegation will be led by the senior Rangers director general (Punjab) Major Genera Umar Farooq Burki while director general of BSF DK Pathak will lead the 23 -member Indian side. Inspector general of BSF Jammu frontier Rakesh Sharma will also be part of Indian delegation in the meeting.
"During the conference major border-related issues like unprovoked firing and infiltration bids from across the border will be discussed. Besides the matters pertaining to different types of disputes will also be discussed," said a BSF spokesman at Jammu.
The talks between Indo-Pak border forces are being held after more than one-and-a-half-years. The last round of talks was held in Lahore in December 2013.
Sources said the issue of "no response" by the other side when BSF waves the 'white flag', an indication to ceasefire and meeting of on-ground commanders of the two sides, will also be taken up during the talks.
"The conference is being held at a very crucial juncture since for the last two years the border guarding forces have been engaged in heavy exchange of fire from time to time resulting in the heavy losses of men, material and livestock to the ether side of the border," said the spokesman
Official figures reveal that around 430 ceasefire violations occurred on the IB while 153 violations were reported on the LoC in 2014. Eight soldiers including four BSF men and four army personnel were killed in the cross border shelling. Official figures reveal there were a total of 347 ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir, including 199 along the LoC in 2013.
Sources said the BSF will also take up the issue of intrusion in the 'Harami Nallah' area of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, smuggling of contraband from across the border and illegal movement of suspects close to zero line along the IB in order to facilitate illegal activities.
Pakistan had last month confirmed the agenda for DG-level talks which included issues like the alleged use of objectionable language by troops on the Indian side and air space violations by suspected unmanned aerial vehicles.
According to Pakistan High Commission sources, serious concerns on the infiltration from the Indian side in Punjab and Rajasthan and who were involved in sabotage activities will be raised during the talks.
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