'Bangladesh's improving GDP ended cross border immigration to India': Border Guards B'desh

The GDP of Bangladesh has made significant progress in the last few years. The improving GDP has brought an end to cross border immigration from Bangladesh to India, claimed Md Shafeenul Islam, the Director-General of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in Guwahati on Friday. 

Addressing the media in Guwahati along with his Indian counterpart from the Border Security Forces, the DG of BGB said that cross border immigration is no more a reality. "Because of the increasing GDP of Bangladesh, no one from Bangladesh is now willing to come over illegally to India in search of jobs," Md Shafeenul Islam said. 

However, he also admitted to the increasing number of cross border smuggling happening along the international border.  Meanwhile, the Border Security Forces have also put on record the number of infiltrators and smugglers nabbed so far. 

"This year alone so far 3,204 numbers of infiltrators and smugglers have been nabbed along the Indo-Bangladesh border," said Rakesh Asthana, Director General, BSF. 

"Both the countries have started night patrolling along the border, this is the first such measure being taken by the BSF in the Eastern frontier of the country," Asthana added. 

The BGB Director-General also raised concerns over the increasing number of illegal activities along the border and said that this year till December 18, 48 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed in firing done by BGB. These 48 civilians mostly include smugglers. The figure was 35 in the year 2019 and 3 in the year 2018. 

BSF has meanwhile made it clear that they have been using non-lethal weapons in order to keep a check both on smuggling activities and well as illegal immigration.

It may be mentioned that the Director Generals of BSF and BGB were addressing the media on the sidelines of the 51st DG Level Border Coordination Conference between the Border Security  Force and Border Guards Bangladesh is underway in Assam. The Conference started on December 22 and will conclude on December 26. This is the first time that the high-level talks have been held outside New Delhi.

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Image Credits: BSF Guwahati Twitter