Fencing Necessary on India-Bangladesh Border

Hundreds of Bangladeshis enter the country illegally everyday from Bangladesh. They are spread in almost all cities of India in search of livelihood. The burden of its own population is a matter of concern for India. In addition, hundreds of thousands of foreigners are damaging our economy and social fabric.

Infiltration Continues
Voices are raised against them in India and pressure is also exerted on Bangladesh to control infiltration, but despite that infiltration continues. This infiltration has given rise to several complex problems in India.

Despite giving all sorts of promises, the Bangladesh Government is not preventing the same. In this situation, it has become unavoidable and essential to put fencing on India-Bangladesh border, but the Bangladesh Government is opposing the same. This has kept the matter pending for years. Sometimes, firing takes place between the countries over this issue. Of late, there have been such skirmishes.

Presently, relations between India and Bangladesh are cordial. After the Sheikh Hasina government came to power in Bangladesh, insurgents of northeast India have been driven out from their hideouts there. They had been running their training camps and were carrying out terrorist activities in India, but the matter of fencing a large portion of the border between the countries is not yet sorted out.

High-Level Talks
There were talks between high-level officials of the two countries on the issue, but there was no result. In fact, there is dispute about some areas between the two countries and the reason is there are forest, rivers, and nearly 4,000-km-long border. The differences regarding certain areas have been sorted out, but still there are nearly 100 such locations that have been the cause of dispute between the countries.
Although the disputes are very complex and difficult, it would be in India's interest to solve them. Then, Bangladesh would have no objection to erecting the fence.

Robert Gates' Visit To Help Strengthen India-US Defense Relations

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in New Delhi to give a new dimension to his country's defense relations with India. Just a day earlier, the US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, had also visited Delhi and had exchanged ideas with Indian leaders on the situation in South Asia. However, Robert Gates' visit is significant from several angles.

Regional Security Scenario
After Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's US visit in November 2009, this is the first Delhi visit by any important official of the Obama Administration. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates held extensive talks with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on 19 January on bilateral defense cooperation and regional security scenario. The issue of India-Pakistan relations was also included in the talks.
The United States wants that India and Pakistan should ease tension between them, but India's policy in this regard is quite clear. Only Pakistan has to make efforts for this. Talks between the countries would be possible only when Pakistan honestly takes action against the guilty of the Mumbai terror attack, and destroys the terror infrastructure. But Pakistan is not doing anything in this direction.
Infiltration from across the border continues, and the cease-fire agreement is being violated time and again. India is contributing in Afghanistan's rebuilding, but Pakistan dislikes this.
It is not taking any action against the Taliban who enter into Afghanistan from its border and carry out attacks. In this situation, the United States should further increase pressure on Pakistan, because it is spoiling the security atmosphere in South Asia.

Increasing Mutual Contact
Apart from the prime minister, the US Defense Secretary also held talks with the defense minister about increasing bilateral strategic cooperation, increasing mutual contact between forces of both countries, and providing wider basis to exchange of intelligence inputs.
Talks for buying aircraft and military equipment from the United States have also been finalized. Let us hope that Defense Secretary Gates' visit would provide a new high to strategic relations between the countries.